The Bond
by TheWomanWithAMessedUpMind
Summary: A blond child broke into Law's house in the middle of the night. He was hurt and Law fixed him up. Something seems off about this child. What's with him? Why won't he talk to Law? Can he figure out why the child has come to him? M/M Sabo x Law Don't like? Don't read. I don't own One Piece. I just like to make stories about it. M for language, smut, and past abuse
1. Long Day and Sabo

**Long Day and Sabo**

Law trudged his way back to his house. He was cursing under his breath as he went down the sidewalk. "I'm going to strangle that man," he grumbled as he kept going. Law started to remember what had happened that day. It was infuriating to even think about it.

Caesar Clown had gone against him when he prescribed a medication to a patient. Instead of giving the woman what Law had written down, he gave her a very different medication. It pissed him off because he was the doctor. Not him. Caesar was just the person in the pharmacy.

During their argument, Vegapunk, the lead doctor and head of the hospital, came to see what the commotion was. When he asked him what was wrong, Law told him the truth. In the end, Vegapunk had agreed with Law. The man informed Caesar that he was just the pharmacist, not a doctor. That pissed the man off. Because of it, he gave Law hell after Vegapunk left.

"Fucking asshole," he mumbled as he walked to his house. It was in the best part of town. He made enough money to live there and to have a lot left over. His adopted father was the one that insisted for him to make a good life for himself.

Arriving at his house, Law dug through his pants pockets to find his keys. He had a long, annoying, terrible day. All he wanted to do was take a shower, eat something, then go straight to bed. The day's events exhausted him to the point that he was too tired to do anything else than what he had planned to do.

The creak of the door was a little creepy and unnerving. When the front door was open, he flipped on the lights to the main entrance. He felt that something was out of place. Though he couldn't place what it could've been, Law still felt that something was off about his house.

Cautiously, he took his shoes off and moved to the living room. Nothing seemed different about it. But that still didn't calm his uneasy feeling. He tossed his messenger bag on the sofa. Law took a good look around his living room.

The room was moderately decorated. There was a large plasma screen TV on the wall above an East Indian rosewood coffee table. To his left was a cherry wood bookcase full of books. There was a black, Chesterfield sofa in the middle with two matching black-winged armchairs on either side of the sofa.

Nothing seemed to be touched. "Then, what's this feeling?" he asked himself in a whisper. Choosing to try to ignore it, he walked up the stairs to his room. His house was only a two-story house. His uncle tried to get him to buy a much larger house, but he ignored him. Law liked his modest house.

In his room, he sighed at how it looked. Honestly, he wasn't the one that designed his own bedroom. His uncle designed and decorated his bedroom along with Trebol, Baby 5, Giolla, and Dellinger. Law didn't know how to feel about his room.

There was a tester bed that would fit much better in a castle or in the 16th century. It was beautiful but over the top to him. The top was made of pure gold with the floral cloths hanging down from it. The bedposts and headboard were both made out of gold as well. The bedsheets were made of pure, white silk along with the pillowcases. The blanket was a white Sherpa fleece blanket. To be honest, it was his uncle that gave him the bed. Sometimes, he didn't want to sleep on it because it felt too extravagant to sleep in.

There was a white oak dresser on the other side of the room. Near a corner of the room was a dark rocking chair. It had been his idea to get it. His 'family' opposed it, but Law enforced that it was his room, his rules. The floor was made of teak. A cherry wood desk was against the wall with a rolling desk chair pushed up to it.

"They're way too creative," he said as he walked to his dresser. Slowly, he dug through it to find some clothes for the night. He didn't care what he wore as long as it was comfortable. Not something he would eventually change for something else.

When he had that, he felt like he was being watched. The strange thing was that he didn't have any neighbors for a few yards. The houses were a good bit apart so that they had privacy and room. That was also why it was a good part of town.

Quickly, he moved to his bathroom and shut the door after himself. He locked it because he didn't trust that feeling from before. "Something's watching me. I don't know what it is, but it's there," he told himself.

After a minute, he stripped. His bathroom was exorbitant as well. Doflamingo hadn't cared how much he spent on him. It got on his nerves because he was trying to get him to like him. The toilet was a Hang Fung gold toilet. One of the only ones in the world. There were about two or three. Doflamingo had one himself. The shower was enormous with fogging glass to help with privacy. The floor was made of Pietra Firma LuxTouch tiles. There was a tub on the other side of the room. It was a Le Grand Queen.

The sink had a countertop made of river white granite and a prairie flower ceramic oval drop-in bathroom sink. The sink was Baby 5 and Dellinger's design. He didn't get to create his own bathroom nor bedroom. It angered him to no end that his 'family' wouldn't leave him alone.

Entering the shower, he turned on the water. It felt so good. The hot water was helping relax his tense, exhausted, sore muscles. His eyelids started to slip closed as he finished his shower. Then, the sound of a crash made him jolt to attention.

His eyes widened as he looked to the door to his bathroom. Quickly, he shut the water off to see if he could hear anything else. For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence. Cautiously, Law exited his shower and grabbed a towel. He dried his hair off before wrapping it around his waist.

Law went to the door and pressed his ear to the door. He was listening to see if he could hear anything. There was silence. Reluctantly, he opened the door before sticking his head out. He looked down both sides of the hallway. Nothing seemed to be out of place in his bedroom.

He moved into the room. Then, there was the sound of feet running across wooden floorboards down the hall. Going to his closet, Law grabbed the nodachi he kept there. It was out of fashion but he liked the style and thought of keeping someone away from him by slicing them.

Tentatively, Law made his way down the hall. He hadn't unsheathed the weapon yet. There was no reason to do so unless he really needed to. There was the sound of someone running in the spare room. He raised an eyebrow. _It...It sounds like a...child._

Reaching out, he had just placed his hand on the knob when there was a loud thud from the room. Slowly, he opened it to find out what was going on. When the door was open, he noticed that the window was shattered. Like someone had busted into the room from the outside.

The moonlight was shining inside, and the wind was blowing the curtains around. Moving into the room, Law screamed when he felt something run past his legs. As quickly as he could, he flipped on the light to see what was going on.

Snapping his head in the direction he felt the thing go in, Law dropped his nodachi to the ground. It clattered when it hit the wooden floor. "H-How...How did you...How did you get in here?" he asked.

In the corner of the room, there was a small boy crouched into a ball. Law couldn't quite see him because of the shadows from the dresser and nightstand. Something was off about the boy, though. He walked toward him. Suddenly, he stepped in something wet.

Looking down, Law's eyes widened when he found a trail of blood on the floor. Following it with his eyes, he found that it was coming from the boy. That was when he noticed that the kid was holding his left eye. "H-Hey." He moved closer. The child looked from him to the open door before right back to him. "Don't worry." Law put his arms up. "I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you. You're hurt. I can fix you up."

Hesitantly, the boy stood up and walked into the light. Law was surprised by what he saw. The little boy was dressed in expensive clothes, had blond, wavy hair, a blue eye, and was giving him a distrustful, yet admiring look.

There was something definitely off about him. "Come on." Law got to one knee. Slowly but surely, the other came to stand in front of him. "Alright." He grabbed the hand that was covering his left eye. The kid tried to keep his hand over it. "It's okay. I'm a doctor. I need to see how bad it is. If it needs any serious medical attention, I will have to take you to a hospital."

Without saying a word, the kid allowed him to remove his hand. Law cringed backward at what he saw. There, definitely, was going to be a scar. Law could already tell. _It's as if he was burned by an object. Did something happen to him? What's going on with this kid? How the hell did he get in here?_

"Come with me. I'm going to take you back to my room. There's a first-aid kit in my bathroom." The boy replaced his hand on his face as Law stood from his kneeling position. He held out his hand for the other to take. He saw him hesitate before accepting it.

Law led him back to his room. He got the other to sit on his bed next to his clothes. Law told the child to stay there while he went to get the kit. He came back to find the other glancing around his room with a fascinated and curious eye.

Getting close to the kid, he saw that he was, in fact, studying his room. "Okay. I need you to remove your hand again. Then, I'll disinfect it and bandage it up." Begrudgingly, he removed his hand from his face. Law took his time in cleaning the mark on his face.

It was pretty serious. Not enough to have to go to a hospital but enough that it was close to a third-degree burn. The boy flinched every time he would wipe at it with a clean, wet rag. It was upsetting but he had no other choice. When that was done, he took the gauze out and began to pat the area dry. With all that done, he wrapped bandages around his eye.

"There. You're all fixed up." Law stepped back from him. The blond kid reached up and touched the bandages. "Don't mess with them too much. I'll have to fix them if you do." The kid still didn't say anything to him but did as he said. He stopped messing with the bandages.

While the kid continued to check out his room, Law got dressed. The other didn't seem to notice what he was doing. Once he was dressed for the night, Law stood next to the kid. _Now, what the hell do I do with him? I can call Smoker and get him to do something with him. Or I can keep him for the night and then call Smoker in the morning to come and get him._ He sighed as he made his decision.

"Hey, what's your name?" Law asked as he stood back in front of him. The kid raised his head to look at him. "Can you, please, tell me your name?"

"S-Sabo," the other answered in a quiet, hoarse voice. His face was a light shade of pink. He did sound like a child but gave off a vibe that said he might be older than he looked.

"Alright, Sabo-ya. I can get you a room set up for the night. In the morning, I'll call Smoker here to figure out how you got here and why," Law informed him. Sabo didn't say anything else. He just sighed as he walked out of the room.

He went to another spare room and fixed it up for him. It was a nice room and Law thought it was good enough for the other to stay in for the night. He walked back to his room to find Sabo crawled up in his bed. Asleep.

"You can't sleep here," Law stated. He grabbed ahold of Sabo's arm. He tried to pick him up but found that he couldn't. He raised an eyebrow. _How is that possible? He's so small. _He tried again but got the same results. It frustrated him. Giving up, he was just too tired to bother with it anymore. "Fine. You can sleep here for the night, I guess. Tomorrow, we'll find out why you're here."

Sabo didn't answer him and just continued to sleep. It made him curious as to who and why the small child was there. Sabo looked to be around eight or so. _Why would he just break into my house? What was the purpose of doing so?_

He slid in next to him. Suddenly, a small, soft hand grabbed onto his right one as a head was laid on his shoulder. He sighed. It felt sort of like he was a father and Sabo was his child. It was extremely uncomfortable because he knew absolutely nothing about this kid. He just showed up out of nowhere and now, they were sleeping in the same room, in the same bed. Together. On the same day. Very strange. _I'm definitely going to call Smoker in the morning before I go to work._

**New story. New plot. Hope you all don't mind. Let me know what you think. I love you all so much. Have a beautiful day. Tatty-bye!**


	2. Little Information and Choices

**Little Information and Choices**

A delectable smell aroused Law from his somewhat peaceful slumber. It was amazing. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The top of his bed was still the same as ever. Sitting up, Law looked to his right. There was an indention on his bed from what looked to be a much smaller body. Then, he remembered. He remembered everything.

A kid, somehow, busted into his house through the window. When Law heard him moving around, he went to check out what it was. When he found him, the boy was badly hurt. Law offered to fix him up and did so. He found out the kid's name was Sabo. Law fixed up an extra room for him, but Sabo decided to sleep in his room instead. He couldn't move the kid, so he allowed him to stay. Then, he went to bed.

Now, Sabo was missing. Law was a little worried about where the kid could've gone. The delicious smell made his stomach growl. "Oh yeah. I didn't eat dinner last night. I was too tired after fixing Sabo-ya up."

Swinging his legs to the side, he placed his feet on the floor before standing up. He left his room to find out where that smell was coming from. It led him to his kitchen. He was surprised to see Sabo sitting at the dining table. The child looked to be waiting for something. There were two, full plates on the table.

"Um..." Law tried to figure out what he wanted to ask. "Did...Did you make breakfast?" Sabo nodded but didn't say anything. "Do you not like me?"

Sabo looked like he got hit in the face. He looked up at him with wide eyes. _Is there something wrong?_ "N-N-No," was the soft, faint answer he got. He wondered what he meant. His answer to his question could be yes, he doesn't like him, or no, he does like him.

"Okay." Law pulled out a chair to sit at the table. Sabo was sitting right next to him. "Thank you for breakfast." Sabo's face turned a light shade of red. It made him curious as to why the kid was acting that way.

As they ate, he tried to get more information out of Sabo. The kid wouldn't budge. Not a single word was said from him. It made Law worried that the kid, in fact, didn't like him. _Maybe he just doesn't want to talk to me. That could be the problem._

"I'm calling Smoker when we're finished." That got a confused look from him. "He's a police officer." His confusion changed to shock. "I have no idea how you got here or why you're here, so I'm going to call him to see if you will tell him." _Cause I can't seem to get anything out of you._

Sabo didn't argue but looked to be thinking about what he had said to him. Law wondered if that was because he told him that a police officer was going to come over. To him, he would be frightened to know that the police were being called. Sabo was acting as if it was something normal and thinking about how to get out of it.

When they were done with breakfast, Law offered to clean up since the other made food. Sabo nodded and walked off to another room. It worried him because he didn't know if the kid was going to touch his stuff. He hoped that Sabo wouldn't break anything.

Going back to his room after washing the dishes, Law picked up his cellphone. He, quickly, dialed the number fro the other man. They were on a somewhat friendly basis. There were some things that they didn't agree on and others that they did. He wasn't all that surprised.

It rang a few times before being picked up. "What do you want, Trafalgar? It's only nine in the morning."

"I have a small problem here at home," Law stated his reason for calling and bothering him.

"What kind of 'small problem'?" The man sounded curious and skeptical. He didn't blame him because Law typically didn't have any normal 'small problems'. There was always something in between the lines.

"I have a kid here at my house." There was a long moment of silence after his answer.

"A kid?" Smoker, finally, asked.

"Yeah. I was only able to get a name out of him. His name's Sabo. He looks around eight or nine."

"How the hell do you have a child at your house? Where the fuck did he come from?"

"That's why I fucking called you, Smoker. I believe he broke in through a window in one of my spare rooms. Where he's from or why he's here is the reason I called you." There was a grunt from the other. "Can you come over and see if you've seen him before? Or even find something on him? Like a missing report or something?"

Smoker sighed. "I can try. There's no guarantee. I can give you the information today."

Law sighed. "I know that. You aren't a miracle worker. You've told me that already." He heard something in his living room. "What do you expect me to do with him?"

"We'll talk about that when I get there. Where is he right now?"

"I don't know. He walked off after we had breakfast." There was another long pause on the other end.

"Law, how long has he been at your house?"

"Since last night. I was too tired from work to call you last night." He shrugged even though he knew Smoker couldn't see it. "I let him spend the night. Not that big a deal to me."

"Alright. I'll be over in ten minutes. What time do you have to be at work?"

"Eleven-thirty. It's like nine-twenty now."

"Okay. Like I said, I'll be over in ten minutes." Law agreed before the other hung up. He placed his phone on his dresser before going to find where Sabo had wandered off to.

It didn't take him long to find him. _I knew I heard something in here. _Sabo was sitting on the sofa, watching the TV. Law was puzzled at the expression the younger had on his face. Sabo looked as if he had never seen anything like it. That confused him. _Aren't his parents rich? He's wearing expensive clothes. Do his parents not allow him to watch TV?_

"Sabo-ya," he called to him from the entrance to the kitchen. The kid snapped his head away from the screen to him. He stared at him with wide, frightened eyes. It was as if Law had caught him doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing. "Smoker will be here in a bit." The other looked between him and the TV. "Are you okay? I don't mind you watching it."

He shifted on the sofa as Law came to sit next to him. Something was definitely off about this situation. Sabo still didn't say anything to him. Law looked to the TV to see what he had been watching. To his surprise, it wasn't cartoons. It was crime shows. For an eight-year-old, Sabo was strange to him.

After a while, a knock sounded on his front door. He hopped up and walked to the door. When he opened it up, Smoker and his partner, Tashigi, were standing there. It was nice to see him and the woman. "Good morning, Trafalgar," Tashigi greeted. He was on pretty good terms with her. The two were a little closer than him and Smoker. The other just grunted.

"Good morning," he returned the greeting. Moving out of the way, he motioned for them to enter the house. "If you're looking for Sabo-ya, he's in the living room." The two nodded before taking off their shoes. They, at least, respected his rule about coming into his house.

After that, they followed him to the living room. Sabo was still there, watching TV. "This kid looks like he's from one of the upper-class families," Tashigi informed him. "Though, I've never seen him before."

"So, how did he get in again?" Smoker asked. Law asked Tashigi to stay with Sabo. She agreed without argument. With that, he guided Smoker to the exact room that he found the kid in. His nodachi was still on the floor from him dropping it because he had been so shocked to care about it at the time.

"The window's broken. The glass from it shows that it was broken when something hit it from outside," Law pointed out as Smoker went over to look at it. He decided to pick up his weapon so he could put it back in his closet.

"Did he hurt his face when he broke in?" Smoker asked. He was examining the window area as he questioned him.

"I have no idea. The mark looks like a burn. I cleaned it up and bandaged it." Smoker nodded. He picked a piece of glass up to look at it.

"It was broken from outside. So, it's quite possible that he broke in from outdoors." He dropped the glass back on the ground. "Either he broke in by himself, or..."

"Or what?" Law was curious now.

"He could've been thrown inside. That's a good possibility."

"Good to know."

"Do you want me to start an investigation?"

"No. I just want to know how he got here, why he's here, and who he really is." Smoker nodded. They decided to go back down to the living room where the other two were. Law deposited his nodachi back in his closet before they went down the stairs.

Tashigi looked to be in a trance while Sabo was still watching TV. She was sitting in the chair to the right of the sofa. "Tashigi-ya?" Law asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't seem to notice that he was there. "Are you okay?"

"Amazing. Truly amazing." That confused him and worried him at the same time. Law looked to Smoker. He seemed worried about how she was acting as well. It wasn't normal for her. She was normally an airhead. But this was going beyond that.

"Sabo-ya." He turned his attention to the kid. "What happened to her? Did you do something to her?" The kid looked up at him with a confused expression. It made him stunned that it looked genuine.

"Trafalgar..." He looked back at her. She was staring straight at him with wide, amazing eyes. "That was such a beautiful moment. I can't believe it." Her words only baffled him even more. It was like she wasn't all there.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. Smoker decided to join in on what was happening to his partner.

"Tashigi, what the hell is going on with you?"

That seemed to snap her out of the trance. Law wondered why she hadn't done it when he spoke to her. "What?" She glanced between him and Smoker. "What's going on? What happened?"

Law was shocked. He hadn't expected that to happen. "Do you remember what happened when Smoker and I left the room?" he asked. He wanted to know if she was missing any memories or could tell them what had happened.

"I sat down in this chair. I began to ask Sabo things about himself. He was cooperative for a few minutes." She looked around him to Sabo. "Then, when I started to ask about his family, he stopped talking to me."

"Then what happened?" Smoker was the one to ask.

"Then you two were back down here. I don't remember anything else before that." Law was extremely worried for her because she didn't remember what had just happened when they walked into the room.

"Don't worry about it," Law assured her. Smoker went to say something, but he gave him a look that told him to drop it. "What questions did you ask Sabo-ya and his answers to them?"

"I asked him who he was. He answered that his name is Sabo and he's from a very wealthy family." Law nodded. He knew his hame already and guessed the other part. "I asked him where he was from. He told me that he's from a place that's really hot but not unbearably so." That made him curious. "I asked him why he was here. He responded by saying that he is here because it's the safest place he could find and knew you would help him." That got Law to look over at him. Sabo was red in the face but didn't look at him.

"What about the burn on his face? How did he get it?"

"I did ask about that. He said that it was a punishment for something he had done."

"What the fuck kind of punishment is that?!" Law almost screamed at the top of his lungs. He was furious to know why he had the horrible burn on his face. "That's not what you do to an eight-year-old child!" Tashigi put her hands up in defense. Law was huffing with fury as he stood next to both the chair and sofa.

Suddenly, a small hand grabbed onto his. It was soothing and took away most of his anger. He looked over to see that it was Sabo that had grabbed him. Sighing, Law calmed down. "How he got here is still a mystery," Tashigi said after a moment.

"Why do you say that?" Smoker asked as he blew out some smoke. Law scrunched his face up at the sight.

"Because he couldn't, or wouldn't, give me a straight answer about it. He kept telling me that 'this might've happened' or 'that could've been the way it happened'." Law was confused. _Why would he not want to answer that question? _It wasn't something he expected from the small boy.

"Don't worry about it." Law sighed as he crossed his arms. "Now, what do I do with him? I can't watch him. I have to work all day." He looked at the clock. "In fact, I have to go in thirty minutes."

"Since we don't know much about him, he will have to stay with you," Smoker answered. Law gave him a look that asked if he was kidding. "I'm sorry but it's the only idea I have."

"You didn't hear me, did you?" I have work in less than an hour. What the fuck is he going to do here? I can't bring him with me." He was not happy with the man's suggestion. "I don't want to call Baby 5. She'll just traumatize the poor kid." Tashigi just chuckled. "You don't know her like I do," he warned her.

"And, how can she be that bad?" the woman asked in a joking manner.

Law gave her a dead stare. "Why do you think I moved out at the age of sixteen?" Her amusement quickly changed a worry. "I don't want her to mess with his head at that age." It felt a little odd that Sabo was sitting right there and hadn't said anything to them about what they were talking about.

"Just take him to work with you," Smoker, finally, said. He looked annoyed. Law snapped his head to him.

"And what am I supposed to say to them? 'Oh, I was told to take this kid to work with me'. 'Why do you have a kid? Is he yours'? 'No. He broke into my house and now I have to watch him until the police figure something out'." He was pissed off with that suggestion. "I don't want them to think he's my kid."

"Well, you have three options. One: leave him here by himself and he might get into stuff he's not supposed to, two: get Baby 5 to watch him and risk her scaring the kid, or three: take him to work with you and suffer a little gossip."

Giving off an exasperated sigh, Law agreed to take him with him to work. "That's great for you, Trafalgar," Tashigi encouraged him. Law glared at her. "Do you have any of your old clothes? His are a little...worn."

Law nodded. He had some of his clothes from that time. It wasn't that he kept them for a reason. Corazon just asked him to keep them. Law had agreed without question because he was the most important person to him in his whole life.

"Alright. We'll leave to let you get ready." Smoker motioned to the door at Tashigi. The woman nodded before getting up and going to the door. They said their goodbyes before leaving. Law saw them out and waited for them to put their shoes back on before they left.

When that was done, Law went back to the living room. Sabo was still watching the crime show that had been playing for a while now. "Sabo-ya." He got the kid's attention. "Come with me. I have some clean clothes for you. I'll also clean your wound and re-bandage it."

Hesitantly, the kid took his hand and hopped off the sofa. Law led him back to his bedroom. He let him go and went to the closet. The kid stood in the middle of the room while he dug through his closet.

When he came across the container, he cried out, triumphantly. "Here it is!" He heard a thud behind him. Turning around, he saw that Sabo was on the floor. As if he had fallen backward. "Hey. Are you okay?" He took the box before walking over to him. The boy looked surprised and a little spooked. "Is something wrong?"

Sabo shook his head as he stood back up. Law placed the box down in front of him. He told him to go through it and pick what he liked out of it. The kid agreed with a nod as Law went over to his dresser to get his clothes out for the day.

After he was dressed for work, he turned around and found Sabo already dressed and staring at him. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. He almost fell over at how he was dressed.

Sabo was dressed almost identically as when he was eight. He was wearing a white, button-up shirt and spotted, blue-and-black shorts. The only exception was the boots he wore when Law first found him.

"Al-Alright. Let's...Let's fix your head." Sabo gave him an unsure nod. Law, carefully, unwrapped the bandages. It didn't look as bad as the night before but it was still pretty bad. As gingerly as he could, he got another wet rag and began to clean it and give it a little bit of moisture.

The kid only flinched a few times through it. As soon as he was done, he wrapped it back up. Law told him that they had to get going. Sabo agreed and took him by his right hand. Law hoped that nobody would ask about who he was nor why he was brining him to work with him. He sighed. It was going to be a long day.

**Glad to know you all are enjoying it. It makes me so happy. Please, tell me what you think of this chapter. Have a magnificent day. I love you all so very, very much. Tatty-bye!**


	3. Work and Revelation

**Work and Revelation**

Arriving at work on time, Law sighed as he continued to hold onto Sabo's hand. He had gotten a few strange looks from people as he passed them by on the street. They didn't bother him, though. The looks didn't seem to bother Sabo either. To Law, he felt like something was really weird about the kid.

When he walked through the sliding doors, Law was greeted by the receptionist, Nami. She was a very nice woman and Law got along her more than most of his other co-workers. "Good morning, Law. How are you today?" He gave her a smile as he walked up to her desk.

"I'm doing fine, Nami-ya. How about you?" Sabo stayed silent as he stood next to him, still holding his hand. He just stared up at her.

"I'm doing great." Nami seemed to, finally, notice Sabo standing beside him. "And who's this little guy? He's so adorable," she gushed while looking at him. Said kid decided to hide behind Law's right leg.

"He's a friend of mine's kid. She asked me to watch him for her for the time being," Law easily lied. He hoped that she would believe him. To the hospital, he was known to be noticeably kinder to children than adults. There were rumors about why he was like that. Law didn't pay them any attention.

"That sounds so noble of you," Nami praised him. It made his face heat up a bit. "But he's still really cute." She took a closer look at him. "What happened to his eye? Why's it bandaged up?"

Thinking quickly, Law came up with another lie. "He was playing with a cat in his old neighborhood. It scratched him. I told my friend that I would fix him up for her."

Nami's smile never wavered. "That's really kind of you to do. No wonder the children take a liking to you." Law turned a few shades darker than before. They talked for a bit longer until Sabo tugged on his arm. "Seems like he wants to go somewhere," she commented.

"Yeah. I'll see you later."

"See you at lunch." Nami waved at him as he was led somewhere else.

When they reached their destination, Law noticed that it was the bathroom. "Oh. Go ahead. I'll wait out here for you," he promised. Sabo nodded before letting his hand go and entering the bathroom.

Law leaned against the wall as he waited for Sabo to exit the bathroom. That was when Monet walked up to him. He mentally groaned when she stopped right in front of him. "Good morning, Dr. Trafalgar," she greeted in a flirtatious tone.

"Good morning, Monet," he said in return in a monotone voice. He was not ready to face the woman when he first arrived at work.

"So, what are you doing? Are you waiting for someone?" Monet asked. She still had the flirty tone in her voice as she spoke. He didn't like her like that. To Law, she was a little creepy and disturbing to him.

"Actually, I am waiting for someone. May I ask why you're here?" He decided to turn the conversation to her. He didn't feel like telling her who he was waiting for.

"I saw you and decided to come say hello." She stepped a little closer to him. Monet was very close to being in his personal space. "Do you have anything you're doing after work today?"

"Yes. I have a couple of things to do after work," he answered. Law wanted her to leave him alone.

"How about tomorrow? Want to get a drink with me?" She got even closer to him. Now, she was in his personal space. Law didn't like it at all. It got on his nerves and disturbed him at the same time.

"Monet, please. I have already told you that I don't like you like that," he stated. "I'm not interested in dating you nor anyone else for that matter."

That didn't seem to deter her from advancing on him. "Come on. Don't you, at least, have a crush or interest in anyone here?" she asked as she got even closer to him. He put his hands up to get ready to push her away.

Before he could say anything to her, she was pushed away from him. The force made her stumble back, but she caught herself before she fell to the ground. "What the?" Looking down, Law found Sabo standing there. He was red in the face. But he looked angry, not embarrassed. "Who's this kid?" she asked as she came up to them again. "Don't tell me he's your kid, Law."

"No. He isn't. I'm watching him for a friend of mine. He is why I'm busy after work." Sabo reached up and grabbed his hand. Law allowed him to do so because it seemed to calm him down.

"He's super cute. But not as cute and handsome as you," Monet commented. She sighed. "Maybe another time." The strange woman waved, amorously, at him before walking away from them.

He looked back down at Sabo. The boy was staring at her retreating back. His face was still red, but it was a much lighter shade than what it had been when he pushed her back from him. "Come on. I have to get to my office." Sabo nodded before letting Law lead him to his office.

Getting to his office, Law directed for Sabo to sit on the loveseat he had in there. His friend, Shachi, had gotten him the loveseat about a year before. It was thoughtful, but Law had asked him why he even needed a loveseat in his office.

Shachi, being the helpful man he was, answered him with a good reason to have it. He had told Law that he might need it when working late nights and needed a bit of rest. Or when he had a patient that was waiting for him in his office.

Now, he was using it for Sabo to sit on while he did his paperwork. It was better than making him sit in front of his desk or on the floor. "You can sit there. I'm going to be doing my paperwork. Try not to mess with anything in here."

Sabo, still not speaking to him, only nodded in agreement. It perplexed him on why the kid only spoke about two words to him since he met him the night before. He still questioned if Sabo liked him or not. He had nothing against him if he didn't like him.

Then, he remembered the way he reacted to Monet being as close as she was to him. "Sabo-ya." He looked at him with a blank look. It made him wonder if the kid was bored or something. "Why did you push Monet earlier?'

Sabo didn't answer him. Law expected as much. But his face did turn red again. He knew that it was from embarrassment because he looked away from him. _Not something I'm comfortable with but it seems that I'll have to get used to it._

"Okay. Do you not like her?" Sabo gave him an angry expression before shaking his head. "Got it. You don't like her. I don't like her either." Sabo seemed to like his answer because his expression went from anger to happiness. Law thought he looked better when smiling at him.

After a while, a knock sounded on his door. Lifting his head, Bepo was in the doorway. He was smiling at him. "One of your patients wants to see you." Law nodded as he stood from his seat.

"Who is it?"

"It's Marco."

"Oh. He wants me to check on Ace-ya again, doesn't he?" Bepo nodded. Law sighed. "He's a doctor as well. I don't see why he wants me to be Ace-ya's doctor when he can do it himself." He turned to Sabo. It confused him when he saw the other's expression. The kid looked like he had heard something that he hadn't heard in years. "Come on, Sabo-ya."

Law held his hand out for him. Quickly, Sabo hopped off the loveseat and grabbed onto his hand. It was like Bepo just noticed him. "Captain, why do you have a kid?" The guy seemed surprised to see him there.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you it some other time." Bepo agreed before moving to let Law leave the room.

Sabo seemed excited to go with him. Law wondered why the other was so eager to meet Marco and Ace. Arriving at the room he knew they would be in, Marco looked up from his phone to him. "Law, I'm glad you're here."

"Marco-ya, I don't understand why you insist on me looking at Ace-ya. You're a doctor too." Marco laughed. He seemed to find what he said funny.

"Never hurts to get another's opinion," Marco replied.

"I see. I understand." He got Sabo to sit on one of the chairs in the room. "So, what's wrong with him now?"

"I don't know. He was throwing up something orange and red. I couldn't figure out what it was." The guy shrugged. "He stopped doing it about an hour ago."

Turning his attention to the kid on the examination table, Law saw that he looked a little upset about his situation. "Ace-ya, can you tell me what made you start to throw up?" he asked in a kind, gentle voice.

"I don't know. I just started to do it." He just shrugged. "It tasted like spaghetti and orange pop."

Law nodded. "Alright. I'm going to do a check over on you. If nothing comes up, I'll just give you a medication to see if it works. is that okay with you?" He didn't want to upset the kid. Law was a doctor. He didn't like to upset children.

"Sure. If it helps me, I'm up for it." Law nodded as he started the check-up.

To be honest, Law didn't understand where the kid came from or anything about him. All of a sudden, Marco showed up to the hospital with Ace. Many people asked him about the kid, but he only replied with was that Ace wasn't his and he had no idea where he came from. Also, when Law did his check-ups on Ace, he felt as if Marco wasn't telling him a few things about the kid.

"Hey, Law."

"Hm?" Law asked as he looked in Ace's ears.

"Where'd this kid come from?"

Taking the otoscope out of Ace's ear and putting it back up, he turned his attention from the boy to Marco. "That's a long story." Ace looked around him to Sabo. His eyes lit up with recognition. That made Law question if the two knew each other somehow.

"I have time. You can tell me about it." Law sighed.

"I'll tell you after I'm done with Ace-ya's check-up." Marco agreed and allowed Law to finish his examination. He pulled back from the kid. "You seem to be fine right now. I'm still a little worried about you throwing up. Come see me again if it happens again. Okay?"

"Yes, sir," Ace replied. Hopping off the table, he, swiftly, made his way over to Sabo.

"They seem to know each other," Marco commented to him. Law had to agree with him. After a minute, the two started to whisper to each other. It was a strange sight. "So, how did you end up with the kid?"

Law grabbed Marco's arm before leading him to a corner. "Don't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, okay?"

"Got it. My lips are sealed." And Law spilled about how he came to have Sabo. Marco looked surprised at what he said to him. Almost like he couldn't believe him. "Are you sure that's how he got in your house?"

"Yeah. I was shocked when I found him." Marco seemed to think something over. "Is there something on your mind, Phoenix-ya?" He gave him the nickname because others liked to call him 'Marco the Phoenix'. Law couldn't figure out why.

"It's almost exactly the same as how I got Ace." Law raised an eyebrow.

"Can you explain?" This was the first time hearing about how he got Ace. The man never told him how Ace became a part of his life.

"Well, you remember I've had him for a few months now, right?" Law nodded. "To be honest, I don't know much about him, other than what he likes and stuff like that." It made him confused. "The way I found him was very similar to how you found Sabo."

"Can you tell me how you found him?"

"I came home from work one day to one of my windows broken. It was like something was thrown inside or someone broke in." Law nodded. "After checking the whole house, I found him hiding in my bedroom. He had been under the bed."

"Did you ask him anything about him?"

"I did. He didn't speak to me for about a few days. He only said a few words to me through those few days."

"Sabo-ya has only told me his name and 'no' to a question I asked him." Marco nodded. "Could there be a reason why we have had something similar happen to us?"

Marco just shrugged. "I don't know. I heard from Zoro that something similar happened to him. He's got a kid with him, too. I believe he told him his name's Luffy."

"Have you met the kid?" Law was interested in how this was going.

"Yeah. He wears a straw hat almost all the time." Marco smile. "Where Ace's pretty smart, Luffy's got a few...problems."

"What kind of problems?"

"He's not very smart. Things just go over his head and he doesn't understand many things." Law nodded as he watched the two continued to whisper to each other. "Ace knows Luffy as well."

"What?"

"Yeah. I thought it would be a good idea if I brought Ace with me when I went to see Luffy. The two did something similar to this." Marco gestured to the two. "I think Sabo might know the other, too."

"That's interesting." Marco nodded.

"When do you get off today?"

"Around seven or eight. Why?"

"What are you up to this weekend?" Law turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing much. Why?"

"I wanted to take you and Sabo to see Luffy. I think we might find something interesting if we get the three to meet with each other." Law agreed to go that weekend. "Also, they aren't that hard to take care of. So far, Ace hasn't given me any problems. How about Sabo? Has he given you any?"

"No." He thought about that morning. "Sabo-ya actually made breakfast for us this morning." Marco gave him a shocked expression.

"That's great. I wish Ace did that for me." He looked a bit jealous. "But I like Ace the way he is." Law nodded.

After a while, Marco left with a prescription that Law gave him. He told the man and child that it should help with the puking. Ace, reluctantly, left with Marco. Law figured that he didn't want to leave Sabo's side.

The day went by with few problems. He did get more questions on if Sabo was his. Law gave them the same answer as he gave Nami and Monet. They seemed to think he was a great guy for doing so. Sabo ate lunch with him and Nami. Law figured out that Sabo liked ramen when he saw it in the cafeteria. The kid, excitedly, pointed to it and pleaded to Law with his eyes.

Law sighed as he ordered it for him and handed it to the kid. Sabo was careful not to spill it as they made their way to an empty table. He sat right next to Law when they sat down. Fortunately, Law didn't mind him sitting next to him. Nami joined them later and they talked through lunch.

After lunch, Law took in a few more patients before relaxing in his room for the rest of the time. Sabo fell asleep after a while. When it was around seven, he got up and walked over to the boy. He was curled up on the loveseat.

_He looks cute like that. _Law's eyes widened at the thought that ran across his mind. _Am I getting attached to him? I can't do that. Right? When I figure out where he came from, I'm going to give him back. _Sighing, Law picked Sabo up, making sure he didn't wake him up.

He left the hospital. Nami bid him a good night as he walked out. She made sure to be quiet as to not wake Sabo up. Law did the same as he walked out. There were two good things about what was happening. One being that he didn't live far from the hospital. The second being that Sabo seemed to be almost as light as a feather. That made him curious because he couldn't move the kid the night before.

Getting back home, he took Sabo's boots off and set them in the entrance hall before doing the same with his own. Groggily, he carried the kid back to his room and laid him down on the bed. After that, he stripped before getting into nightclothes. When he was done with that, he crawled into the bed next to Sabo.

Slowly, he started to fall asleep. What he didn't notice as he fell asleep was the small body slowly changing into a much larger body. He slipped into a peaceful sleep, not feeling the warm, adult-sized hand grabbing onto his nor the kiss on his cheek.

**I'm glad to see that so many people like the story. Please, tell me what you think of this chapter. I hope it's good enough. Have a radient day. Love you all so much. Tatty-bye!**


	4. Meeting Up and Bad News

**Meeting Up and Bad News**

It was now the weekend. Law, finally, got more than a few words out of Sabo through the week. He had asked again if he liked him. Sabo answered with, "Yes. I do like you." It made him happy, for some odd reason. Law couldn't figure out why it made him feel like that.

"Then, why don't you talk to me much?" Law asked him as they sat on the sofa. He was on one end while Sabo was on the other. The kid looked away from the TV to him.

"I...I don't dislike talking to you," he replied with, what Law thought was, embarrassment.

"Then, were you nervous the first few days you were here?" Sabo nodded before turning back to the TV. Law sighed as he leaned his head on the back of the sofa. He kicked his feet up onto the table while throwing his arm over the arm of the sofa.

"You're strange," Sabo commented. Law turned his head to look at him again.

"Why do you say that?"

Sabo didn't look at him as he answered him. "You have an aura that says you're spoiled but you definitely don't act like it. You're a decent person and you help people when they need it. You're really nice."

Law laughed. "The reason I have so many expensive things is because of my uncle." Sabo looked at him again. "He spends money on me even when I tell him not to. It gets really annoying." He shrugged. "Doflamingo just never listens to me." They stared at each other for a few moments. "You're abnormal."

It was the other's turn to smile. "How am I abnormal?"

"For starters, you act older than you look." Sabo nodded.

"I've been told that many times." The kid turned around and scooted toward Law. He watched Sabo lay his head in his lap. Law didn't object or tell me to go away because he didn't care. "What are the other reasons?"

"Hm...You dress a little...different than people around here do." Sabo nodded again. "Where are you from?"

"I can't tell you right now." That confused Law. _Is he embarrassed about it? Or is there a different reason? _"Maybe another time." He seemed to notice Law's expression. "Don't worry. I'm just not comfortable with talking about my home nor family."

"Okay." They stopped talking and just continued to watch the show that Sabo had put on. It was another crime show. Law figured out that the boy enjoyed watching shows and movies about crimes and similar stuff.

A knock on his front door let him know that someone was there. He got Sabo to move so he could get up and answer it. Quickly, he made his way to the door and opened it. To no surprise, Marco was standing there with Ace in his arms.

"Good morning, Phoenix-ya," he greeted with a smile.

Marco laughed as he stood there. "You can just call me Marco." Law invited them inside. After he told him to leave their shoes in the entrance hall, he led them to the living room. Sabo was still laying on the sofa. His head was in the same spot he had been sitting in before.

"Sabo-ya, Ace-ya and Marco-ya are here." The kid shot up into a sitting position. Ace and Sabo grinned at each other. The dark-haired kid struggled to get down. After a moment, Marco set him on the ground before he rushed over to the sofa and climbed onto it.

Sabo and Ace sat close to each other and began to whisper in hushed voices. Law still couldn't figure out what was going on. "So, do you want to go visit Zoro and Luffy?" Marco asked as they watched the two. The boys still had smiles on their faces as they spoke to one another.

"Sure. When do you want to go?" Law answered as he looked to the older, taller man.

"We can leave in a bit." He gestured to the two kids. "I wonder what they're talking about?" Law just shrugged at him. He was thinking the same thing.

Every time the two boys were in the same room, they would huddle together and whisper to each other. Sometimes, they would glance toward him and Marco. Law would cock his head to the side and Sabo would blush before turning back to Ace. It made him ponder on why he would act that way toward him.

After about ten minutes later, Marco decided that it was time to go. Ace and Sabo, begrudgingly, broke apart. Ace ran up to Marco and raised his arms out to him. The man smiled down at him as he picked him up and put him on his left hip.

Sabo walked up to Law and did the same thing as the other. Rolling his eyes with a smile on his face, Law did the same exact thing as Marco had. "Come on. Zoro'll be waiting for us at his house." All three nodded to him before they went to the entrance hall.

Law put his and Sabo's shoes on while Marco did the same for himself and Ace. It was like they were parents taking care of their children. It was funny and made Law laugh as they exited his house.

"Do you find something funny, Law?" Marco asked as he locked up his house.

"We look like a pair of dads," he replied, still chuckling a little. It was the older man's turn to laugh.

"I guess we do." Law and Marco shared a laugh while Ace and Sabo blushed as they looked away from them. "Let's get going," he said after he calmed down. Law agreed before following the man to Zoro's house.

The two walked and talked. Ace and Sabo were quiet as the two other men conversed about wor and things of that sort. "Monet's getting on my nerves," Law complained.

"You mean the green-haired nurse?" He nodded. Marco looked to be thinking about something. "I don't like the vibe she gives off. Kinda creepy and disturbing."

"I have to agree with you. She has a...thing...for me," he said with an appalled voice. Law had some major reasons he didn't like the woman.

"It's like she's been stalking you," Marco joked.

"I had her follow me home a few weeks ago." Marco stopped walking and Sabo looked up at him with wide eyes. Law stopped to look back at Marco.

"Are you kidding me?"

Law shook his head. "I wish I was. She tried to break into my house while I was asleep." They started walking again while Law told him the story. "A car had passed by my house and shouted at her." That had woken him up that night. "I got up, opened my window, and shouted at her to get the fuck off my property before I called Smoker."

A chuckle sounded next to him. "Sounds like a real problem." The man sighed. "I'm glad I don't have a problem like that."

He grinned at the man. "Don't worry. It will happen at some point." Marco's face turned grim.

"I hope you're joking, Law."

Law laughed and replied that he was. That made the other feel better. They talked for a bit longer until they arrived at a green house. The front door was black, but the rest of the house was like a faded light green.

Marco walked up to the door and knocked. There was silence for a minute or two. "I would stand back If I were you," he warned Law.

Raising an eyebrow, Law didn't argue but did as he said. Marco was standing on one side of the door while he stood on the other. Right before Law went to say something, the door was flung open and a small, naked body came barreling out of the house.

To say Law was shocked would be an understatement. He was completely dumbstruck at seeing the young boy come outside but naked. "I don't wanna!" he shouted. To be fair, though, the kid was, at least, wearing a straw hat around his neck.

"Luffy, you need to bathe! You haven't done it in a week!" Law knew that to be Zoro. He sounded frustrated and exhausted at what was happening. "Get your ass back inside! Who knows who'll snatch you up!"

The kid stuck his tongue out while crossing his arms. Finally, he seemed to notice Marco and Ace. "Ace and Marco are here!" he shouted at the man that was still in the house.

Suddenly, a head of green was stuck out the door. "Oh. Hey guys. Can I help you two?"

Law looked away from Zoro to the boy that was, now, crouched on the ground, looking at something. Ignoring the other three, he walked up to him. "What're you doing?" Law asked as he stood near the kid.

He looked up at him for a split second before looking back down. "I'm watching this beetle. I like beetles." Law nodded.

"Is your name Straw Hat-ya?" The kid burst out laughing. It made him fall on his ass.

"You're funny," He replied after calming himself down. He stood up and dusted his naked butt off. "I'm Monkey D Luffy. Who're you?"

"I'm Trafalgar Law. I'm a friend of Zoro-ya and Marco-ya."

"Tra...Traf...Torao!" Law chuckled at how he had trouble trying to say his last name. It was cute that he gave him a nickname like Law had for him.

"Luffy?" Sabo said.

The kid's eyes widened when he looked up at Sabo. "Sabo!" he screamed in happiness. Law placed Sabo on the ground and the kid ran up and hugged him. It was like they were brothers that hadn't seen each other in a very long time.

They held hands while going over to Marco. Said man placed Ace on the ground and they all rushed inside. "Where'd the other come from?" Zoro asked as Law came up to the two men.

"Law found him."

Zoro looked at him. "Oh. Haven't noticed you're here." He looked guilty.

"It's okay. I was just talking to Straw Hat-ya." Zoro gave him a funny look before seeming to realize who he was talking about.

"That's a little weird. You gave him a nickname." Law shrugged.

"I didn't remember his name. Plus, he's wearing a straw hat."

"That's understandable, I guess," Marco replied. Zoro invited them inside. Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were huddle in the corner of the room, still whispering.

"So, how did you end up with him?" Zoro asked as they sat around the living room. Law gave him the same information he gave Marco, Smoker, and Tashigi. The guy looked baffled when he finished the explanation.

"Is there something you want to say, Zoro-ya?" Law asked as he stared at him.

"That's really similar to how I found Luffy." Law asked him to elaborate. "Well, I was sleeping when I heard a crash. It sounded like it was in the kitchen." He scratched the back of his head. "I got up to check it out. To my surprise, I found the kid rummaging through my fridge." Law chuckled. "You won't believe the appetite of this kid. He ate me out of house and home in only two days flat."

That made Law laugh outright. He was enjoying this. Calming himself down after a bit, he turned. He stared in shock when he saw all three boys staring at him in awe. Marco chuckled. "It seems that they like you when you laugh."

Law turned to the man and punched his arm. That made Zoro laugh. "Shut the fuck up, you two," he growled. Marco rubbed his arm while Zoro's laughter dulled down to just chuckles. "If you're going to just tease me, I'm going for a walk."

He stood up and started for the door. "Come on, Law. We're sorry." Marco got up to stop him.

"Keep an eye on Sabo-ya for me. I'll be back in about an hour." The three boys looked shocked about what was happening. Sabo looked almost heartbroken. "Don't worry. I'll be back. I'm not going far."

Marco sighed in defeat. "Alright. We'll keep an eye on the kid for you." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Again, we're sorry for upsetting you."

"I know. I know. I just...need to clear my head and calm down." They didn't argue with him anymore and allowed him to leave the house.

Ten minutes later, Law found himself walking down the street of town. He wasn't upset with them. It was just...he had been trying not to explode or get too angry in front of Sabo. Since the kid was stuck to him almost like glue, Law never had time to just blow off steam.

After a few more minutes of walking, his phone began to ring. Fishing it out of his pants' pocket, Law answered it. "Hello?" He hadn't even looked at the caller ID before answering it.

"You haven't called me in a while," replied a deep, masculine voice.

Law let out a deep, exasperated sigh. "Because I don't want to. Why are you calling me? I stopped contacting you to get away from you."

"That really hurts, Law. Why are you being so mean?"

"What are you? Five? Act your fucking age. You're forty-one-years-old." He was getting aggravated with the conversation. "Now, what the fuck are you calling me for? I don't need anything from you."

"I am letting you know that I'm dropping by your city for some work-related things. I was wondering if I could come by for a visit?"

Quickly, his thoughts went to the last time the man had visited him. That time was almost the worst two days of his life.

...

_**"Law~. How are you doing today?" Doflamingo asked as he came into the room. Law cowered away from the nearly blinding light. It did burn his eyes and hurt his head.**_

_**"Like shit, you bastard," Law spat. He was starving and glared at him when the door was shut. To him, he didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that he was able to see in the dark from how long he had been in it.**_

_**"Don't be like that. I brought you food again." Law looked to the other trays of 'food' that he hadn't eaten nor even touched. "Did you not eat again? You need to eat. You're going to pass out from starvation."**_

_**"I already know that, fucker! But I wonder why I'm not eating any fucking thing you bring me! What was in the last thing I ate?!" There was silence for a moment. "You want to know what was in it?!" More silence. He could see the man shift from one foot to the other. "Fucking sleeping drugs! Why in the hell would you drug me?! I have no fucking idea what you did to me during that time!"**_

_**"I didn't do anything to you." Law couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not.**_

_**"Then why did my arms and legs hurt when I woke up?!" Law's throat was starting to hurt from screaming at him. "I don't even know what fucking day it is!"**_

_**"It's Sunday."**_

_**Law laughed hysterically. It was hurting his already aching stomach. When it reverted to only giggles, he was able to speak again. Law threw his arms up. "Great. Now I know how much longer I have to endure this hell."**_

_**"I put you to sleep because you hadn't slept in weeks. Baby 5 told me that you looked horrible, so I decided to help you get some sleep. You're the only one that thought I have some ulterior motive to do so."**_

_**"Gee. I wonder why."**_

_**He watched the man flinch when he said that. "Look. I'm sorry about back then. You know..." Law cut him off.**_

_**"Uh-huh. You said the same thing after. Every time. You know, I stopped believing you after I turned thirteen." There was more silence.**_

_**"Look, I'll take a bite to show you that it's not drugged." Law could see him clearly. Doflamingo picked up the fork and took a bite of the pasta. "Now, will you eat it?"**_

_**Slowly, Law moved from his crouched position near the bathroom door. He, cautiously, made his way over to the man. As quickly as he could, he grabbed the tray from him before rushing back over to his spot near the door.**_

_**"You know why I won't let you out of here, right?" Law didn't answer him as he just stuffed his mouth with the warm, delicious meal. It had been the first meal he had in two days. Not since he found out that he had been drugged. "I won't let you out until you get some fucking sleep. What do you think Corazon would say about the condition you've gotten yourself in?"**_

_**Law stopped eating and swallowed the food in his mouth before speaking. "Don't you dare say something like that to me ever again," he said with all the venom and hatred he could put into his voice. "You didn't give a shit about him nor his death. You didn't even come to his fucking funeral! What kind of brother are you?!"**_

_**He went back to eating when the other said nothing. After a bit, he finished eating and downed the glass of water in one go. Then, his thoughts went to the drink. **What if he drugged it?! I'm so fucking stupid!_

**_Movement made him snap his head up to him. "I'll be back in a while." It seemed like he wanted to say something else. "Try not to hurt yourself."_**

**_That was the last thing he heard before his vision went. _**_F-Fuck! He drugged the fucking water!_

...

Almost immediately, his thoughts went to Sabo. _What will he do to him?! _"I won't let you inside. Stay away from me. I still haven't forgiven you for last time."

"I said I was sorry. What will it take for you to forgive me?"

"I don't know. Staying far away from me until I'm twenty-seven," Law stated.

"Are you serious? Almost a whole year?"

"Do I sound like this is a fucking joke?" There was silence. "Thought so. Plus, I'll be busy. I don't need you to bother me while I'm working."

"I won't get in your way. I just want to see my nephew. Can't I do that? Even for just a few hours?" Doflamingo begged. It was extremely rare for the man to beg him for something.

Law sighed in frustration. "Fine. But only for a few hours. Then, you're getting your ass out of my house and away from me."

Doflamingo agreed, excitedly, before telling him when he was coming by. After that, Law hung up without saying goodbye. He was now worried for Sabo's and his own safety. _Please. Don't let that asshole do anything harmful to the kid. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he does. _With those thoughts, he made his way back to the house.

**I'm ecstatic that you all are enjoying the story. Please, tell me what you think of this story. I love to hear from you guys, and gals. Have a magnificent day. Love you all. Tatty-bye!**


	5. Visit From Uncle and Eruption

**Visit From Uncle and Eruption**

Law groaned as he laid, face-first, on the sofa. He was not happy at all. It was the day he had been dreading for a week and a half. "Law, what's wrong?" Sabo asked as he crawled onto his back. He sounded worried about how he was acting.

There was something Law had figured out about Sabo's weight. It fluctuated at times. He had tried to move Sabo a few times through the time he had been there but wasn't able to. It was like he would weigh a ton at times. Then, there were times where he was as light as a feather. Those were times when he sat on him, Law held him, or he was in a deep sleep.

Turning his head to the side, he decided to tell him the truth about what was happening that day. He hadn't told him about it even when he got back to the house that day. "My uncle's visiting for a few hours today." There was silence for a bit. Sabo didn't move nor did Law. It was like the kid was trying to register what he had said to him.

After about ten minutes, Sabo asked a question. "Why are you acting like this? Do you not like your uncle?" Law sighed. He knew the kid would ask that sooner or later.

"Not really. No. I don't like my uncle all that much."

"Why?"

_I can give you hundreds of reasons why I don't like him. _Turning over, Law held onto Sabo to where he was no longer sitting on his back but now on his stomach. He reached up and ruffled his hair. "You're not old enough to understand." Sabo crossed his arms and looked to be pouting. "I'll tell you when you're older," he offered with a smile.

Sabo smiled and agreed before laying down with his head on Law's chest. After a minute, Law placed his hand on the other's back. It was quiet for a bit. "When did you stop liking your uncle?"

"When I was around thirteen, I stopped like him," Law answered.

About an hour later, they were still laying on the sofa. It was nice and Law didn't mind. He had warned up to the kid. Smoker offered to take him to a friend for the time being. Law had refused. Tashigi even offered to watch him instead. He refused her as well. Sabo didn't seem to get along with Smoker and he was wary of Tashigi. In truth, he enjoyed spending time with the boy. It was like he knew him for a while, but it only had been between two and three weeks.

Suddenly, a firm knock sounded on his front door. Law already knew who that was. "I'm not ready for this," he muttered. Sabo gave him a confused look as he sat up. He fell onto Law's lap. "Stay here. I'll be right back." _I hope the doesn't flip the fuck out about you._

Not arguing, Sabo agreed before he placed him on the sofa. The kid sat back while Law got up and trudged to the front door. He took a deep breath before opening the door. Once it was open, he was met with the enormous, flashy man that was his uncle. He was grinning almost from ear to ear at him. "I'm really glad that you decided to agree to me visiting," Doflamingo said as he ducked to get in.

"Don't get too excited. You're only allowed here for a few hours. Do anything to upset me and you'll be out immediately." Doflamingo promised that he would be nice. Law told him to leave his shoes in the entrance hall.

After the man's shoes were off, he followed Law to the living room. Law sat on the sofa next to Sabo before turning to look back at Doflamingo. The man was standing in the doorway, not moving. It was like he was trying to process what he was seeing before him.

Slowly, he walked over to one of the chairs. He took his pink-feathered coat off and draped it over the back of it before sitting down. "Law, aren't you going to tell me who this is?" Doflamingo gestured to Sabo, who was flipping through channels.

"His name's Sabo-ya," Law stated as he turned to look at the kid. He reached out and ruffled his hair. Sabo smiled as he stopped on a channel that was playing a crime movie.

"Did you adopt him?" Law laughed. "Do you find something funny, Law?"

"Your question. I find your question funny," he replied. "No. I didn't adopt him. I'm watching him for a friend of mine. She's out of town and couldn't take him with her, so she asked me to watch him for her. I agreed." Sabo scooted closer to him. Law knew it was because he didn't like his uncle. It was easy to tell who he liked and disliked.

"That's...kind of you," Doflamingo said. It was like he had tried to find the right word to say. He leaned closer to Law. "You look much better than the last time I was here. Have you been eating and sleeping well?"

Turning to glare at him, his teeth started to grind together. "Yes. I'm eating more than normal, and I sleep every night," he said through gritted teeth. Sabo grabbed onto his shirt. It was comforting but didn't quell his anger nor his hatred for the man.

"I was just wondering. No need to get defensive about it." He was still grinning at him. "Sabo, is he telling me the truth?"

That pissed Law off even more. "Don't talk to him," he spat. "I don't want you to talk or touch him. Ever."

Doflamingo grinned even wider. "What's wrong? Do you not want me to just ask him a simple question?"

"No. And you know damn well why I don't want you to talk to him. Especially touch him." He didn't trust him at all. There were many reasons he didn't trust the man with any child or even a friend of his that was male.

"That was a long time ago."

"Sixteen years ago is not really a long time, don't you think?" He saw the large man's grin shrink a bit. Doflamingo shifted where he sat.

"I see it as a long time," he replied.

"Uh-huh. I don't think it's a long time for another reason. It stopped only thirteen years ago." Doflamingo didn't answer him. "Was I too old for you at thirteen? Is that why you, finally, left me alone?"

There was silence between the three for a good while. Law just glared at the man as he sat there, not moving. Even his grin was gone. It was replaced with a frown. The only noise was the sound of the TV. Law was thankful that it wasn't completely silent in the room. He didn't know if he could've taken it if the TV wasn't on.

After what felt like hours, Law got up to go get a cup of coffee. Doflamingo grabbed his arm. "Don't touch me," he warned before trying to pull his arm free of the other's grip. It didn't work. "Let me go or get the fuck out of my house."

Still, he didn't let him go. Suddenly, Sabo bit Doflamingo's arm through his shirt. It made him immediately let Law's arm go. He let go when the man tried to bring his arm closer to himself. "What the fuck was that for?!" he shouted at him.

Sabo glared at him before speaking. "He said to let him go," was the only thing he spoke as he stood between Law and his uncle. Doflamingo rolled up his sleeve and looked at the bite. It was starting to bleed, and you could clearly see how hard he bit him.

Autopilot kicked in and Law went upstairs to get his first-aid kit. He came back down and set up next to the chair. "You're not going to discipline him?" Doflamingo asked as he got out the disinfectant for his arm.

"As I said, he's not mine. I have no right to discipline him for doing something to someone else. The only thing I can do is scold him if he, somehow, breaks something in my house. I'm not responsible for the safety of the people around me," he replied as he started to clean and bandage him up.

"That's not part of watching a kid. You're responsible for whatever they do, be it the safety of people or of the objects around you." Law stopped working. Slowly, he looked up into the glasses of the man.

"If I can recall correctly, you didn't watch Dellinger nor Baby 5 as you should've," Law accused him. "Do you want to know why I moved out at sixteen?" He went back to work after he asked the question.

"Of course. I was worried when you just upped and moved out to go live with Corazon. Did something happen?" He flinched when Law wiped away the blood that was still dripping from the wound.

"How about I had a bad experience with Baby 5 abut a month after my sixteenth birthday?" Law offered. He patted the bandage after he was done. It made the man wince when he did so. It brought him happiness to see the other man show some kind of pain.

"What happened with her? She never told me that she was the reason you moved out."

Law laughed. It was a hollow, emotionless laugh. He felt Sabo grab onto the end of his shirt. "You think she'd tell you what she did? She knows better than to tell you anything about what she did. You would've killed her if you found out at the time." Law set the kit down on the floor before sitting back on the sofa. "'Family' my ass. We were never a real family. You just picked up abandoned children and called them your brothers and sisters." Sabo crawled onto the sofa and sat next to him, never letting him go. "I'm only your nephew because Cora-san adopted me as his son, not his brother."

"I know. I adopted you as my brother first, though." Law scowled at him. He didn't like the thought of being his brother. He already didn't like being his nephew.

"But I accepted Cora-san's offer to be his son," he reminded him. "I haven't liked Baby 5 since I was sixteen. I don't like to interact with her. Hell, I don't even like being in the same room as her now!"

"Law, what did she do to you?"

He started to remember the day it all happened. It had been a normal day. Nothing had been special or different about that particular day.

...

_**"Law? What are you doing right now?" Baby 5 asked as she opened his door.**_

_**Turning away from his desk, Law gave her an annoyed look. "I'm studying. What do you want?"**_

_**"Can I stay in here for a bit? Doffy's in a mood again." Law sighed but agreed. Her face lit up. He rolled his eyes before turning back to his desk. After a minute, he heard the door shut and the sound of the lock clicking.**_

_**"Why did you just lock the door?" he asked as he turned a page and wrote some notes down.**_

_**"So he can't get in here? Why else would I lock a door? He's scary and brutal when he's in a mood." Law nodded as he wrote more things down.**_

_**It was quiet for a bit, Law thought that Baby 5 had probably fallen asleep on his bed. Turning his head, he was shocked to find that she was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him. Slowly, he turned around.**_

_**"Why are you staring at me?" he asked her. She smiled at him before she got up. He gave her a confused and wary look as she walked over to him.**_

_**"You know I love you, right?" Law didn't answer and just giving her the same look. Baby 5 stopped just in front of him. He almost started to panic when she sat in his lap with her chest against his.**_

_**"Baby 5, what the fuck are you doing?" he asked, trying not to shout or show that he was freaking out internally.**_

_**She sat there for a few moments before answering him. "I never gave you a birthday present last month. I forgot to give you a present." Her voice creeped him out. It was sensual and not something he expected a fourteen-year-old woman to have toward him.**_

_**"If I know what you're trying to do, I'll have to decline your present. I appreciate the thought of it, but I'm not interested in you that way." He went to get up to get her off him. In a split second, his arms were behind his back and her bow was not in her hair anymore. "What the fuck?!"**_

_**Law began to struggle. Baby 5 had taken her bow out of her hair and tied it around his wrists behind the chair. She was smiling at him in a very flirtatious way. It unnerved him. "I want to give you a present. This is the only thing I can think of."**_

_**"I don't want this type of present!" he shouted at her. Baby 5 slapped a hand over his mouth to silence him.**_

_**"Don't shout," she whispered. "Doffy might hear you. I don't want him to know what I'm doing." Law gave her a shocked expression. She seemed to understand what he was asking with his eyes. "I already know that he'll kill me if he finds out. It's just how he is."**_

_**Baby 5 never removed her hand but used her other to undo his pants before slipping inside. Law screamed into her hand through the whole thing. He wouldn't admit it, but he did moan at least a few times through the whole encounter.**_

_**When he, finally, came after thirty minutes, Baby 5 removed her hand from inside his pants. It was covered in a white, sticky, warm substance. She licked it. Why? Law didn't know. He turned his face away from her. Law didn't even want to look at the woman that was supposed to be his sister/aunt.**_

_**"Happy sixteenth birthday, Law," she cheered after licking her hand clean. Baby 5 laid her head on his shoulder before wrapping him in a hug. "Your cum tastes salty with a hint of sweetness."**_

_**When he didn't answer her, she undid the bow from around his wrists. Once he was free, Law grabbed her by the back of her dress. He dragged her to the door. Unlocking it, he threw it open before tossing her out the room.**_

_**"Ow, Law! What was that for?!" Baby 5 whined.**_

_**"Get the fuck out. You are never allowed in my room again. When I'm in it or not." He was saying all of that with a blank face. His voice was monotone, and he didn't understand why he wasn't just flat out exploding at her. But he figured it out real quick.**_

_**"Don't tell Doffy about this, okay?" she begged. Law just nodded before she got up and dusted herself off. "Thanks. I owe you one."**_

_**Stepping back into his room, Law slammed the door shut and locked it. He would be damned if he left it open again. There was no way in hell he was letting her in his room again. "I'm moving out of here. I'll move in with Cora-san."**_

...

"She..." He looked to Sabo. Law placed his hands over his ears. Sabo gave him a puzzled expression but said nothing to him. "She jacked me off as a birthday present because she forgot to get me one for my sixteenth birthday about a month before it happened," he replied.

Removing his hands from Sabo's ears, Law waited for the man to respond. He could practically see the cogs turning in Doflamingo's head. When it seemed that something clicked in his brain. Law snatched up Sabo before booking it to his room.

"BABY 5 IS IN SO MUCH FUCKING TROUBLE WHEN I GET BACK HOME!" was roared into the house. There were the sounds of things being broken, crashes from glass shattering, and a lot of other destructive sounds coming from the living room.

"What did you tell him?" Sabo asked as they hid in his closet. The kid was sitting in his lap while Law sat on the floor in the far corner of the closet. _It feels like old times._

"I told him something that you'll find out when you're older." Sabo looked concerned. "Don't worry. He'll stop in a little while."

"Are you sure?" Law nodded before getting Sabo to lay his head on his shoulder. He kept one hand on the back of his head while the other was his back. _I really hope he doesn't destroy everything. He already has to pay me back for what he's already broken down there. I hope he doesn't come looking for us. I don't want to face him while he's raging like this._

**I'm happy that you all are enjoying it. I'm working really hard with this story. Thank you for the reviews. They make me so happy. Let me know what you think about this one. Have a beautiful day. I love you all so much. Tatty-bye!**

**Satine - It feels me with joy to know that you are enjoying the story. It's what keeps me going with it. Thank you so much for your praise and inticipation for the next chapter. I will try to update when I can. Please, be patient with me. Thank you again.**


	6. Back Ache and Insight

**Back Ache and Insight**

Law hissed as he laid down on the sofa on his back. His back hurt immensely from the weekend before. "Doflamingo's got to stop destroying my house when he's angry," he said aloud.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? You aren't hurting too much, right?" Sabo asked as he appeared next to him. Law turned his head to look at him. The kid looked exceptionally worried because of what was happening with him.

He tried to give him a reassuring smile. "Yeah. I just need to be a little more careful about my back." Law winced when he moved a bit on the sofa. His back was in a lot of pain even though it had been a week ago since it happened.

...

What had happened last weekend was that his uncle came to visit him. He told him something that he had been keeping from him for ten years. It took Doflamingo a moment or so to respond after he told him. As soon as it showed that the other registered what he had said to him, Law had snatched Sabo up and ran to his bedroom. They had sat in his closet while the man broke almost everything in his living room.

After it had quieted down, Law got Sabo to stay in the closet while he went to check if Doflamingo was done ranting and raving in his living room. Cautiously, he made his way down the stairs. You could see some of the destruction from the bottom of them.

Entering the living room, he wasn't too surprised to see that his TV screen was shattered and it was slightly tilted on the wall, the coffee table was in pieces, the sofa was tipped over and the leather was ripped almost to shreds, the two chairs had broken legs and the fabric was ripped up, and his books were scattered across the area. Doflamingo stood in the very middle of it all, still huffing from the effort.

"Doflamingo." The man whipped his head around to look at him. "You're going to pay for all of the shit you broke," he said.

The man didn't say anything to him, and he was just frowning. Neither of those things were good, especially if he was frowning and quiet at the same time. Then, he rushed him. It scared the shit out of him. Backing up, unconsciously, he tripped over something that was broken and landed on something else.

Law shouted in pain when he landed. Right after he landed, he rolled over with his back to the other. He was curled up because he was trying to get the pain in his back to go away. "Law? Are you okay?" Doflamingo asked. It was as if he wasn't angry anymore.

A hand was placed on his back. Law screamed and jerked away from him. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" he replied. Tears sprang to his eyes from how much pain he was in.

Someone came running into the room. Law lifted his head to see that Sabo was standing in the doorway from the kitchen. He looked worried and angry at the same time. "What did you do to him?" he demanded as he stood there.

"I didn't do anything to him," Doflamingo answered. Sabo didn't look convinced at all. Law understood why. His uncle wasn't the most trusting of people.

"Get away from him." Sabo rushed to his side. "Law, are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on his arm.

"My...b-back...h-hurts," he replied. It felt like he had broken it. Not the best feeling in the world. It was to the point that even sitting still was still hurting him. He was not in a good spot.

"You hurt him, didn't you?" Sabo accused Doflamingo as he stood between him and Law. He could hear the fury and hatred in his voice as he spoke to him.

"N-No. I...I tripped and...f-fell," Law answered. He tried to get up, but the pain was too much on his back and he fell.

"Don't move," Sabo said. He sounded just like a doctor. "Move when you feel better." Sabo turned his attention back to Doflamingo. "It's all your fault anyway!" he shouted at him. "He wouldn't have tripped and fallen if you hadn't destroyed the place!"

Doflamingo looked pissed off again. The good thing was that he just stood there. He didn't try to attack either of them. "I'm...sorry," he grumbled. Law was shocked that the man apologized so quickly to them. "I'll get Vergo to come over and bring you new furniture to replace the broken ones. I'll pay for all of it."

Law nodded before the man left the house. He didn't seem happy and neither did Sabo. As soon as his uncle was gone, the boy quickly turned into something similar to a concerned mother. He tried to help Law get up but was unsuccessful because his back hurt him too much to move.

After a while, the pain subsided enough to move from the floor of the living room to the floor in the hallway. He didn't think he could get upstairs. He was thankful that there was a spare room on the first floor. Sabo guided him there and that's where he stayed for a few days.

...

"I think you should take a few days off," Sabo announced as he sat on the floor next to him.

"Huh?" Law stopped remembering. He didn't think he quite heard what the other said. "What did you say?"

"I think you should take a few days off work," he repeated. Sabo reached up and grabbed onto his hand.

"I can't do that. They need me at the hospital. I can't just take a week off," Law explained.

"I think they need you in your best shape than you being in pain when you move around." It almost felt like Sabo wasn't a child but a man that was telling him how he should go about his injury.

"But I've been working all this week. Why would I call in now?"

The grip on his hand got tighter. "Because your patients could tell that something was wrong with you." Law turned his head to look at Sabo. He wasn't even looking at him. "The little girl that you looked after asked me if something was wrong with you. I told her that you hurt your back."

"What did she say to you after that?"

"She said that you shouldn't do stuff that hurts you anymore. You should rest because she doesn't like to see you in pain." Law had to look back at the ceiling. "I don't like that you're in pain. You take pills every day, but they don't seem to be working for you."

Law sighed. He understood where he was coming from. He had seen the looks from patients and coworkers alike. They were looks of concern and worry. Even Nami had asked if he was alright. He had told her that it was nothing he couldn't handle.

"If you won't call in for your own safety, will you call in for me...and your patients?" He looked back at Sabo. The last part of that sentence was reluctantly said. It was just how it was said that you could hear it.

Giving up, Law sighed in defeat. "Fine. Can you go get me my phone off the dresser, please?"

"Yes." Sabo, hesitantly, released his hand before rushing off to go get his cellphone. Law was thankful to have the boy around, He'd been a real help since he got hurt. Sabo would make them food and bring it to him instead of making Law move around too much.

Soon enough, he came back and handed Law his black and white phone. Unlocking it, he dialed a specific number. He put it to his ear to hear it ring a few times. About a few seconds later, the person picked up. "Law, is that you?"

"Yes, Vegapunk-ya."

"Do you need something? You rarely call me unless it's something about work. Are you calling me about work?"

"Yes, sir. I'm calling to ask for a week off. Is that going to be alright?" Sabo sat back down as he talked on the phone. He grabbed his hand again.

"Of course. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I hurt my back last weekend. My patients and colleagues have noticed that I'm in pain." He sighed again. "They said that I should take some time off until I can move around without showing that it hurts."

"I completely understand. You may have the week off. I want my doctors at their very best. I hope you get better soon."

"Thank you, Vegapunk-ya."

"You're very welcome. Remember, don't come in unless you can move around normally without it hurting too much." Law agreed before he hung up.

Turning his attention to Sabo, he was playing with his hand. The kid was drawing patterns on his palm with his fingers on one hand while holding his hand with the other. It felt nice and soothed him a little. "Sabo-ya, how old are you actually?"

The boy looked up to him, still drawing patterns. "Why do you ask?"

"Cause you haven't told me. I just assumed that you're eight. Are you actually eight-years-old or are you older than that? Maybe younger?" It really was a question he wanted an answer to. He didn't want to continue to think he was eight if he was actually older or younger than that.

"You were close. I'm ten. It wasn't bothering me that you called me eight. I look it, right? Not your fault." Law was surprised. It was nice to know his real age, but he hadn't expected him to be just two years older than what he thought he was.

"So, do you know how old Ace-ya and Straw Hat-ya are?"

"Yeah. Ace is the same age as me. Luffy's seven. He's only three years younger than us." Law nodded. Sabo turned back to his hand. "You have soft hands. It's strange."

Law chuckled. "I wear gloves almost all the time at work. They protect my hands from anything serious."

"Why do you have 'DEATH' tattooed across your fingers?" Law knew he would ask him about that.

"Because I was considered the 'Surgeon of Death' a few years ago." Sabo gave him a questioning look. "I was a coroner for a bit before I became a doctor and surgeon."

"So, you dissected dead bodies?"

"Yep. Wasn't as fun as I thought it would've been. I had a doctorate but hadn't decided to go into the practice. After a few months, I got sick of opening and dissecting dead bodies. I quickly got a job at the hospital. Been working there ever since."

"That's cool."

Looking at the clock on the wall, Law saw that it was nine at night. "Alright. It's bath time," he announced. Sabo, reluctantly, released his hand.

"Can we bathe together tonight?"

Law looked at Sabo. He was pleading with his eyes. Since Sabo had been living with him, they would shower or bathe separately. It wasn't because Law was embarrassed to be naked in front of another person. It was more on the line that he didn't know how to feel to be naked in front of a child.

Realizing that Sabo was waiting for an answer, he sighed. "Sure. I don't see the problem with it." It wasn't entirely true. But he didn't want to upset him. There was something inside him that hated to see Sabo sad. He couldn't understand why but he just felt that way.

Excitedly, Sabo got up and helped him up. He would help Law walk around at times. Law didn't object because he knew that he was just trying to be nice. Walking to the first-floor bathroom, he was still wincing in pain from moving.

"We'll get our clothes out after our shower." Sabo agreed before opening the door for him.

The first-floor bathroom was just as extravagant as his own bathroom. To be more honest, he didn't have any say whatsoever on how any of his house was designed. It was enormous as well. His 'family' was trying to not let him forget that they were still there for him.

Sighing, they entered the bathroom before stripping. Law liked showers. Sabo liked baths. Tonight, Law didn't feel like standing. His back was hurting him too much to keep standing up. Going over to the bathtub, he began to run the water.

Sabo stood right next to him. The situation really made him feel like a parent. "Law, why do you live by yourself." The question took him off guard.

Moving his attention from the tub to the other, he thought about that. "Because...Because I don't trust people easily. I have many reasons to do so." Sabo gave a small nod. "Did you run away from home?"

"Yes." Law was astounded. It was the first time that he had gotten anything out of him about his home. _So, he ran away. Is it because of what his parents had done to him as a punishment? _He was talking about the scar that was on Sabo's face. He took the bandages off a week ago. The kid no longer needed them. The burn was healed but there was a noticeable scar left behind.

"Is it because of what they did to you?" He watched Sabo place a hand on his scar.

"Yes. Along with other reasons."

Just nodding, Law turned back to the tub. He didn't want to pressure the kid about it anymore. When the tub was full, he cut the water off. Stepping in, Law almost moaned at the feeling of the hot water on his skin.

Once he had both feet in the tub, he turned around and lifted Sabo up. It made his back hurt a little, but he knew Sabo couldn't get in on his own. As soon as he set the other inside, Law sat down.

Giving off a deep, contented sigh, Law leaned against the back of the tub. His eyes fluttered shut as he relaxed. He could lay his legs flat out in this tub, something he was grateful for. After a moment, he felt something leaning against his stomach and pelvis.

Opening his eyes a bit, he wasn't surprised to see Sabo sitting between his legs, back against his chest and stomach. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"The hot water is helping with my tense muscles," Law started. "I'm feeling better since I can sit down again." Sabo nodded.

"Can you explain to me how hot water helps with relaxing muscles?" It was odd that the kid was interested in learning something like that. "Does anything warm help with relaxing muscles?"

Thinking about it, Law chose his words carefully. "Anything hot can relax tense muscles. Not unbearably hot, but something that is hot and comfortable. Heaters warm people during the cold weather and helps with relaxing during that time. Most of the time, warmth can lull one to sleep."

"That sounds amazing." Law smiled at hearing the genuine awe in his voice.

"In the world, there are places called hot springs that people visit to relax and unwind. The hot water of the springs helps with tenseness. Most hot springs are in secluded places to give you a sense of peace and relaxation."

"Could we visit one?"

"Sure. I might visit one while I have the week off. The springs might actually help with my back." Sabo turned around to him with a smile on his face. "You told Tashigi that you're from a place that's hot but not unbearably so. Are you from a tropical island or something like that?"

Sabo seemed to think that question over. "Um...Not really. No. It's more like a barren area. Almost like a desert. But a little hotter." That made Law curious about what he could be talking about.

"Are Ace-ya and Straw Hat-ya from the same place as you?"

"Yeah. We're pretty much sworn brothers. We don't have the same parents, but Ace and Luffy grew up together. I ran away from home all the time and met them."

"That's one way to meet people." Sabo chuckled.

"Yeah. We all got along great when we first met. We would cause mischief and get into a lot of trouble." Law could see that. "In our hometown, we were considered brats because we would cause people a lot of problems."

Law laughed. "That sounds like fun." He sighed. "I grew up differently. But I wouldn't change anything that happened in the past."

"Me neither." After a minute, Law informed him that they needed to get their bath done before the water went cold. Sabo agreed before helping him with anything he needed, like washing his back.

When their bath was over with, they got out and went to the room they'd been staying in on the first floor. They got dressed before getting in bed. Sabo had made dinner about two hours before. Law thought it had been delicious. He had told him that he didn't like bread. Sabo made sure that he never made anything with bread in it because of him.

Laying in the bed, Law thought about how he would spend his week of recovery. _I'm going to take Sabo-ya to a hot spring. We'll both enjoy it. I'm sure of it. _Those were the last thoughts he had before falling asleep with Sabo's small hand in his.

...

Sabo watched Law fall asleep. Once he knew for sure that the nice, kind man was completely out, he slowly removed his hand from in Law's, careful not to wake him. As quietly as he could, Sabo moved off the bed.

Once he was on the floor, his body started to grow. The clothes he wore grew with him. His body stopped once he was an adult. "I don't mean to lie to you, Law," he spoke in a whisper. His hand touched the cheek of the man he saw as precious to him. "But I'm actually much older than you think."

Moving away from the bed, he went to get Law's phone from the living room. He had been calling Ace and Luffy from the phone in the middle of the night. They would answer whenever he called because they had agreed on doing so when the men they lived with were asleep.

Dialing the number for Marco's phone, Sabo waited for the other to pick up. After two rings, it was picked up. "Sabo, that's you, isn't it?" Ace asked as he spoke into the phone.

"Yeah. How are you?" He sat on the sofa.

"We're doing fine. I talked to Luffy earlier. He's doing good. Getting closer to Zoro." Sabo liked the sound of that. "How about Law? I saw him the other day. He looked in pain. Did something happen to him?"

"he injured his back last weekend." He didn't want to tell him the truth. It was Law's private issue. Not something for him to spout to anyone. Not even his brothers. "He said we might go to a hot spring."

"What's that?"

"It's a place for relaxation and peace. Law told me that it was like taking a hot bath, but in a more peaceful place."

"That sounds like fun." Sabo explained what Law had told him about the water helping with his back and how hot and warm things helped with tense muscles. "I think it'll be good for him. It's depressing to see him in pain all the time."

"I agree. It angers and upsets me because I can't do anything to help him," he confessed. "I just want to help him feel better."

"You know you could..."

"No. I don't want to do that. Not until I know he won't freak out about it."

"I've told Marco the truth. He promised he wouldn't tell Zoro nor Law. He said it's up to you and Luffy to tell them."

"I know that. It's just...I don't want him to fear me nor hate me for having lied to him."

"Marco took it rather well. He was surprised and shocked at first, but he grew accustomed to it."

"When did you tell him the truth? Haven't you been with him for only a couple of months?" He heard Ace chuckle.

"Yeah. But I couldn't keep it hidden for long. Hasn't Law realized some...oddities...about you? Questioned some of the things you've done?"

Sabo knew that he couldn't deny it. "Yeah. He's realized that I'm not normal."

"Well, he's going to find out the truth, whether you tell him, or he finds out on his own. It's going to be better if you come clean with him than to wait for him to figure it out." Sabo was getting a little frustrated.

"Then tell me how I'm supposed to tell him the other thing. The reason I came to him in the first place." Ace was quiet for a moment. "Well? Can you tell me or not? Haven't you told Marco about it?"

"Yeah. I've told him. I have a question for you, though."

'What?"

"Are you a dominate or a submissive?" That question took him off guard.

"Dominate. What about you? Do you know about Luffy?"

"I'm a submissive. It's hard to tell but I think Luffy's going to be both." Sabo was baffled to hear that. "It's going to be more difficult for you since you're a dominate. You're going to have to figure out how to tell Law that you have more power over him than he would like to know about."

"I think he'll hate me if I tell him that. He's a proud man. Law doesn't like to take orders, nor does he get along with people that try to force him to do something." He sighed in irritation. "This's going to be one hell of an explanation for him."

"Don't worry too much. He's an understanding man. You just have to figure out the right approach to the subject."

"Easier said than done."

"Maybe you can tell him on your trip. A more relaxed environment might help with him not freaking out on you," Ace suggested.

"That sounds good. I might try it." Ace agreed. "I'm going to go back to bed. I'm tired."

"Alright. I'll see you whenever." Sabo said his goodbyes before handing up.

Laying his head on the back of the sofa, his thoughts began to try to figure out how to bring it up to Law. "This isn't going to be easy." Getting up, he went back to the room with Law. The man was still sleeping soundly on the bed. Crawling onto the bed next to Law, he studied the man before him.

Law always had dark circles under his eyes no matter how much sleep he got. Sabo chalked it up to him staying awake for hours in the past. His eyelashes were long and rested gently against his cheeks. His lips were full and were in a slight frown as he slept. When he was awake, his gray eyes were beautiful. To Sabo, he could stare into them for hours. His skin was lightly tanned and marked with tattoos. It felt like there were reasons for some of them. Law had a goatee that was a little scruffy but suited him. He had sideburns that fit his appearance. The man wasn't too buff nor too skinny. In Sabo's opinion, he had just the right amount of muscle. His hair was always a mess, but Sabo thought it made him cute.

Reaching out a hand to touch Law's cheek again, it made the man shift a bit but not wake. Sabo ran a thumb across his cheek. His skin was soft, something he didn't expect because of what his profession was.

"You're perfect in every way," he whispered. Law, unconsciously, leaned into his hand. It made Sabo chuckle. "Yes. You exceeded my expectations by a tremendous amount." Laying back down next to Law, he removed his hand from his face and grabbed his hand instead. "Sweet dreams, my love."

**I'm pleased that you all are enjoying my story. Please, let me know what you think of this chapter. Can you guess Sabo's true age? You can answer it in a review. Have an amazing day. I love you all so much. Tatty-bye!**


	7. Strange Man, Onsen, and Spark

**Strange Man, Onsen, and Spark**

Finishing packing up his suitcase, Law sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed. He had made up his mind the night before to take Sabo to a hot spring resort for his week of recovery. The kid had been overly excited to know that Law had planned to go to one, but he also seemed a little nervous about it at the same time.

"Sabo-ya, have you finished packing?" he asked loud enough for the other to hear him.

After a moment, Sabo appeared in the doorway. He was still wearing some of Law's old clothes. Even though he had gone out and gotten some more for him, Sabo insisted on wearing his clothes. Law couldn't figure out why but left it alone.

"Yes. I have it in the living room." He looked to Law's bag that sat right next to him. "Do you need help with your bag?"

Law shook his head. "Nah. I've got it." He didn't want the other to help him with everything. To him, he can do most things. But some of those things hurt his back more than it should. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah. We're going to a hot spring, right?" Law nodded.

"Uh-huh. It's a very famous onsen that I've been meaning to visit for a while now. They have indoor and outdoor hot springs. It's very traditional." Sabo seemed to be interested in where they were going. "I already reserved an Asuka room for us. It's a very popular room but private. I think you'll like it."

"That sounds like fun. Are we fixing to leave?" Law nodded. He rose from the bed before grabbing his suitcase. They weren't bringing many clothes because you are given a yukata to wear around the place.

About an hour later, they were on the road to the hot spring. Law didn't want to get on a plane to go there, so he was driving them there. It was going to be a longer trip to get to their destination, but Law didn't mind it.

"Law, why do you want to drive there? Marco told me that you can take a plane from place to place," Sabo asked as Law continued to drive. They had been on the road for a little more than an hour by then. It was going to be about six more hours to get there.

"I don't like to fly. It's sort of like a fear of flying but not really," Law explained. He took a left onto a road. He knew how to get to the place. It had been a good idea to look up the directions to the hot spring inn before leaving the house.

"So, you don't like flying?"

"No. I really don't. I have heard too many news stories about pilots losing control of their plane. I'm a little afraid that it might happen while I'm inside the plane." Sabo nodded. He seemed to understand Law's dislike for getting in a plane. It was nice to know that he didn't want to pressure him about it anymore.

About three hours later, Law had to take a break. He had to pee, his back was almost killing him, and Sabo was asleep. After a few more minutes, Law saw a sign for a rest stop up ahead. Smiling, he arrived at it, pulled over, and parked before turning the car off.

Law exited the car before going into the men's restroom. Once he entered it, he was surprised to find that it was astonishingly clean for being in the middle of nowhere. Bypassing those thoughts, he walked over to a urinal.

Once he was finished peeing, Law put himself back in his pants, fixed them, and flushed. He washed his hands. Right as he finished drying his hands off, his phone began to buzz in his pocket.

Fishing it out, he looked at the caller ID. He raised an eyebrow at what he saw. "An unknown number? Who the hell could that be?" Deciding to answer it, he held the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Law, is that really you? Fucking finally!" He groaned at hearing the voice on the other end.

"What do you want, Eustass-ya? I'm in the middle of something." He learned on the wall as he spoke into the phone.

"I tried to visit you today? Where are you? Are you at work? We haven't talked in months."

"Why does it matter where I am? I've told you and Killer-ya that I don't want to see either of you," he reminded him. There was a reason that he didn't want to see nor talk to either man.

...

_**Pounding on his front door awoke Law from his peaceful slumber. Blinking his eyes open, he, groggily, turned his head to look at his alarm clock on his nightstand. It was only two in the morning. "Who the fuck could be bothering me at this time of the night?" The pounding continued. "I'm coming! Stop trying to break my fucking door down!" he shouted.**_

_**Getting up, he tripped a few times as he exited his room. Law had had a long, frustrating, tiring day. Caesar Clown wanted to give him hell once again because he tried to give a patient the wrong medicine. Again. For the hundredth time.**_

_**Trudging down the stairs, the person persisted to bang on his door. Getting aggravated, Law unlocked his door before throwing it open. "The fuck do you want?!" he demanded as he stood in the doorway.**_

_**What he found was Kid and Killer in front of him. Law already knew that they were beyond the point of being drunk. They were shit-faced. The two were having problems just standing upright. "Laaaw," Kid greeted with a slur to his voice and a crooked smile on his face. They were trying to hold each other up. It wasn't working.**_

_**"What the hell are you doing here?" Law ordered them to answer him. "You both are drunk, aren't you?"**_

_**He could only see the smile on Killer's face as Kid chuckled. "'owed you guess?" he asked, leaning heavily on the doorframe.**_

_**Law rolled his eyes. "Huh. I wonder. Maybe it's the way you're swaying on your feet. Or your slurred speech. Or maybe it's the fact that the both of you showed up at my house at two in the fucking morning smelling like whiskey and rum."**_

_**Both men laughed as they stood there. If Law hadn't known that they were drunk, he would've guessed that they had gone bonkers. Not something he wouldn't put past either man. "Can...can we crash 'ere for the niiight?" Kid asked with a smile.**_

_**"Can't you both walk home? You've walked this far to my house," he replied, crossing his arms across his chest.**_

_**"Pleeeaaase?" Killer begged. He swayed toward him as they continued to stand there. "You got spare rooms. We can crash in one, riiight?"**_

_**Sighing, Law knew that they wouldn't leave since he had already opened the door. "Fine. There's one on the second floor. I can show you to it." The men eagerly agreed before stumbling into the house.**_

_**Shutting and re-locking the door, Law led them up the stairs. They almost fell down them three times. Kid would trip and almost take Killer down with him and vice-versa. It was funny, but Law just wanted to go back to bed.**_

_**Once they made it to the room, Law told them goodnight before going to leave the room. Killer grabbed his arm before he could exit the room. "Let me go, Killer-ya." He tried to tug his arm free but was unable to do so.**_

_**"Sleep with us?' he asked. Law's eyes widened when he heard the question.**_

_**"Fuck no. Sleep with each other. Leave me out of it." He tried to free his arm once again. "Let me go."**_

_**Before he knew it, Killer was kissing him. Kid went behind him and began to kiss up and down the back of his neck. "Please?" Kid implored as he continued to kiss his neck.**_

_**Killer was trying to get Law to open his mouth. He flat out refused. Wrenching his face away from Killer, Law took in some air. "Get the fuck off me!" he shouted.**_

_**"But you're really sexy right now, Law," Killer whined. Law wanted to roll his eyes at how he sounded.**_

_**"I'm not interested in 'sleeping' with either one of you drunkards," Law stated. Not warning them, he kicked his leg up and hit Killer in the balls before swinging it back and hitting Kid in the same spot. Both men groaned before falling to the ground. "I'm sorry, but I had to. See you both in the morning." With that, he left the room. Once he got back to his room, he shut and locked the door before going back to bed.**_

...

"How many times do we have to apologize for you to forgive us?" Kid asked. He sounded frustrated with what Law had said to him.

"Until I have decided that the both of you deserve my forgiveness. You both know about that part of my past." He heard something outside. "I don't like being touched that way unless I allow you to."

"For fuck's sake, we were drunk. Can't you give us a little leniency? We didn't mean to do that." Law heard something that sounded like a car door shutting.

"Look. I'm in the middle of something. To answer you, I'm not at work nor am I at home. I'm on vacation, so I won't be home for about a week or so." He heard Kid groan.

"Where the hell are you going?"

"A hot spring." He was being vague to him. Law knew it would only irritate the man further. "I might forgive you when I get back. But I have to get going. I have about three or four more hours to go before I get to the place."

Kid sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll tell Killer about what you said." There was shuffling on the man's end of the phone. "See you in a week or so." Law said his goodbyes before hanging up and putting his phone back in his pocket.

Leaving the bathroom, Law saw a large truck parked next to his car. From where he could see, it was empty. _Maybe it's a woman. Nobody came into the men's restroom with me. _Cautiously, he made his way to his car. The black truck blocked his view of Sabo.

Getting around it, he was extremely worried when he found a man leaning on his car, seemingly talking to Sabo. Law got closer to see if he could hear what the man was saying to him. "Can you tell me who you're here with?"

"Go away. He'll be back in a moment," Sabo answered him. He had the doors locked so the guy couldn't get in.

"Excuse me," Law said to get the guy's attention. The man turned to him with a smile on his face. He made Law feel uncomfortable as he stared at him. "What are you doing?"

Law studied the man that was next to his car. He was very tall, taller than Law by a couple of feet, at leas. He had a long black bear that was split up into three sections and matching black hair, had an open coat that showed off a hairy chest, flower-printed pants, and black boots. He creeped Law out at the way he staring at him.

"I was just talkin' to the lil' fella ya have there," he replied, pointing to Sabo. "He's a good kid. Ya aren't supposed ta talk ta strangers." His smile turned to a large grin. "So, where ya headed?"

As carefully as he could, Law moved to stand next to the driver's side door. "We're going on a road trip. Do you need anything?" The man was making him feel more uncomfortable by the second.

He laughed. "Well, ain't that fun. What's yer name?"

"Law. What's yours?"

"Marshal D Teach. I'm also called Blackbeard." The man gave him an unnerving look. It was like he was trying to eat him with his eyes. "Have anywhere special ye're goin' to?"

"Not really." He looked to the sky. It was past high noon. The sky was going to start getting dark soon. "I'm sorry to cut our meeting short, but I've got to get going," Law apologized. Sabo crawled over to his side to unlock the door before going back to the passenger seat.

"Alright. Sorry ta have bothered ya." Teach waved at him. "I might see ya around. Have a good day." He turned around and walked back to his truck.

Law quickly entered the car and shut his door. Before cranking the car up, he locked the doors again to make sure the guy couldn't get in. Once the car was cranked up, he almost floored it out of there. "Law, are you okay?"

The feelings from his younger years were coming back to him. Without his knowledge, his breathing got quicker. It was to the point that he was almost freaking out. Unconsciously, he pressed his foot down. Law's body was already shaking. It was making his back hurt.

"Law, pull over," he heard Sabo say. He didn't do anything, though. "Please," a hand was placed on his arm, "pull over."

Turning the wheel, he moved the car off the road after removing his foot from the gas pedal. He laid his head on his hands that were still on the steering wheel. Tears were in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. _No. Not in front of Sabo-ya. I refuse to look so weak in front of him. I'm supposed to protect him. I'm his protector._

"Law, are you okay? Is something wrong?" Sabo asked quietly.

Turning his head to look at him, Law gave him a small, forced smile. "I'm fine. I just...didn't like that man."

"I didn't either. He gave off an unfriendly vibe." Law nodded in agreement. "Are you going to be able to finish the drive?"

Law nodded before assuring Sabo that he could handle it. The kid didn't argue, and he just pulled out. And thus, they continued on their way to the hot spring. Law hoped that nothing would happen for the rest of the trip.

After a couple more hours, it was getting dark. He was getting tired but didn't stop for anything. Soon enough, he came across a parking lot. Looking behind it, he perked up. It was the hot spring inn that they were looking for.

"Sabo-ya." He looked over at him for a second. The boy was sleeping. Reaching over, he shook him a little. "Sabo-ya, wake up."

The kid moved before looking over at him. "Huh? Do you need anything?" He stretched and yawned at the same time. "Are we there?" Law thought he looked cute as he rubbed his eyes to wake up more.

"Yeah." Law pointed to the building in the distance. "That's where we'll be staying." Sabo immediately woke up when he saw it.

"It's huge. The lights make it look so pretty." He had to agree with him. The lights in the distance were a beautiful sight.

Pulling into the parking lot, Law parked into an empty space before turning the car off. "Let's get going. The sooner we get in and rest, the sooner my back might feel better," Law said. Sabo nodded before they got out and grabbed their luggage.

Walking into the town, Law was fascinated with the environment. It was beautiful and kept him glancing about. Sabo was doing something similar to what he was. Once they arrived at the inn, they were greeted by two women in very floral yukatas.

"Welcome, sirs," they said in unison.

"Thank you," he replied.

"Please, come inside. We will give you a yukata and some geta for you to wear during your visit," the smaller woman explained as the other took their luggage.

"I'll take this to your room for you." Law thanked her and told her which room it was. She nodded before rushing off.

"The changing rooms are to the left. There should be one for each of you. If you need anything else, please, don't hesitate to ask." Law nodded before walking to the designated room with Sabo.

In the room, there were two yukatas set out. One was adult-sized while the other was child-sized. It was nice to know that they remembered he had a kid with him. Picking up the adult one, Law thought it was nice but a little feminine.

The yukata that they gave him was black with cherry blossom flowers on the bottom and around the arms. There were a white obi and a black obijime cord. Slowly, he stripped and dressed in the yukata.

Turning around, he found Sabo dressed as well. The kid was in a solid, light blue yukata, black obi, and a white obijime cord. Law smiled at him. "You look nice in it," he commented.

"You look...nice...too." Law felt his face heat up a bit. They put on their geta before gathering their clothes in their arms.

The woman that took their bag to their room was waiting for them when they exited the room. "You both look handsome," she said with a smile. "I will escort you to your room."

The walk to the room was quiet but nice. The woman didn't say much as they walked through the inn. Sabo had grabbed onto the side of his yukata at some point. Law couldn't figure out why he had, but he didn't question him either.

Soon after they started walking, the woman stopped outside a door. She turned to them, still smiling like before. It was sort of creepy to Law. "This is your room. Your possessions are in the bedroom. Please, call us if you need anything. Dinner is on the table in the main room. The hot spring bath is just out the door on the other side of the room."

"Thank you very much." She bowed before leaving them.

Law slid the door open. It was beautiful and very traditional. It made him smile. "This place looks cool. I like it."

Entering the room, Law figured out where the bedroom was. Sliding that door open, he found both of their bags right next to the two futons. Placing his clothes on the floor, Sabo did the same with him.

Leaving the room, Law removed his geta before sitting down at the table. Food was placed all across it. All of it looked delicious. Sabo sat down right next to him. "This all looks tasty. I'm starving."

"I know. Six hours without eating can take a toll on you." Sabo nodded in agreement. "When I'm done eating, I'm going to go relax in the hot spring," he informed him.

"Can I join you?" Sabo asked as they started eating.

"Sure. I don't mind. I just want to relax so that my back may feel even a small bit better."

It was almost as if Law's taste buds were in heaven. The food was beyond delicious. He hadn't had anything more savory than the kaiseki dinner that they were eating. He ate as much as he could before he got too full.

Once he was done eating, he leaned back on his hands. It hurt his back a little from the position, but he was happy and full, nonetheless. Sabo did the same thing. It was funny to see him try to copy him. It made him smile.

"Alright. I'm going to go into the hot spring." Sabo nodded as Law got up. He followed after him.

In the changing room they had, Law changed out of his yukata to a towel around his waist. They had a bath for just bathing in the building but had the hot spring outside. Turning around, he found Sabo in a towel just like him.

The kid smiled up at him as he walked up to him. He was eyeing the towel he had wrapped around his waist. "Sabo-ya, you're towel's crooked. If it stays like that, it'll just fall off," he commented, jokingly.

Sabo's face turned red. Bending down, Law decided to fix his towel for him. He heard the other's breath hitch when his fingers brushed across his stomach by accident. It made him curious, but Law left it alone for the time being.

After he was done with that, Law led him outside to the hot spring. Sabo looked hesitant as he stood at the edge of it. "Don't worry. It's not hot enough to hurt you." He watched him cautiously dip a foot in before entering. Law leaned back against the wall.

"Are you feeling any better?" Sabo asked after about ten minutes. He was in the shallow part of the spring so he wouldn't drown. Law didn't mind as he relaxed at the back of it.

"I'm feeling much better. It feels like I've died and gone to heaven," Law confessed as he sighed in contentment. He was enjoying his time at the inn and it was only his first night there. "Are you enjoying it?" he asked as he looked over to him.

Sabo was sitting on the stairs with the water around his shoulders. He looked like he was falling asleep. "I find it...comforting. Reminds me of home. ...The good parts of home." Law nodded. He knew that there was more to his story. Law wanted him to tell him on his own time.

After an hour of soaking in the hot spring, Law had started to fall asleep. "Alright. It's time to get out," he announced. Sabo lifted his head and slowly nodded.

Once they were out, dry, and back in their yukata's, Law told Sabo that he was heading to bed. The boy nodded and said that he would be there shortly. Not bothering to ask what he was going to do, he just went to bed. It wasn't his place to question him. If Sabo wanted to do something without telling him, that was fine with Law.

...

Sabo watched Law enter the bedroom. He, quietly, crawled over to the door to see if he was actually going to bed. Sabo saw him lay down on one of the futons before covering up. Patiently, he waited for the man to fall asleep. He shut the door to wait. Sabo didn't want him to get up and see him in his true form. Not yet anyway.

An hour and a half passed before Sabo went in to check. He found Law asleep, soundly, on the futon. "Good. I've gotta call Ace and Luffy." He placed a hand on his stomach with a smile on his face. His hand was touching the same spot that Law's hand had accidentally brushed across. "They've got to know how that feels."

Going over to Law's clothes, he dug through his light blue and black spotted jeans for the phone. Once he found it, Sabo immediately dialed the number for Zoro's phone. He listened to it ring as he fingered the spot on his stomach. His body grew along with the yukata as he waited.

After three rings, it was answered. "Hello?" He was relieved to hear Luffy's voice.

"Luffy, I have some news for you," he said, maybe a little too excitedly.

"You sound really happy. What happened?" It sounded like the younger male was eating something. Sabo tip-toed out of the room so he wouldn't wake Law up. He shut the door after himself.

"I felt that spark."

"What are you talking about?" Luffy sounded confused.

"Remember when Ace and I told you that when you found your one that you would feel a small spark when they touched you somewhere sensitive?" Sabo asked. He sat on the floor near the table.

"Yeah. You said it would feel like electr-electry..."

"Electricity?"

"Yeah. That. You said it would feel like that was running through your body." There was silence for a moment. "Did that happen with you and Torao?"

"Yeah. He accidentally touched my stomach."

"Dat shounds gweat," Luffy replied. Sabo guessed that he had a full mouth as he spoke.

"I'm gonna call Ace and tell him about it."

"He's awake. I just got off the phone with him. Maybe he's had that moment with Marco." _That's a good question. I need to ask him about that._

"Thanks. It was great to talk to you again."

"You too. I'm gonna go back to eating. I'm starving." Sabo chuckled before they exchanged goodbyes. He dialed Marco's number after getting off with Luffy.

It rang once before being picked up. "Hey, Sabo," Ace greeted as he picked up.

"Hey. I felt that spark with Law."

He could hear the gasp that Ace gave off. "Really? That's great. So, he is the one?"

"Uh-huh. He touched my stomach, by accident. It felt like electricity was coursing through my veins from the spot he touched. It was so...invigorating." He was still touching the spot.

"That's great. I'm really happy for you," Ace sounded genuinely happy for him.

"Have you felt that with Marco?"

"Yeah. I felt it about two days ago. He was helping me change my pants because I couldn't get them undone." Sabo was surprised to hear that.

"Where did he touch you?"

"On my thigh. It felt good when he touched me."

"That sounds nice." Movement from the bedroom almost made him freak out. "Sorry. I've gotta go. Law might be getting up," he whispered into the phone. More noises made him want to scream for some reason.

"Okay. Talk to you later. Have fun." With that, Ace's line went dead.

Hanging up the phone, Sabo shrunk back down to his child form before placing the phone on the table. Cautiously, he went to check on what was going on. He found Law having what looked to be a nightmare.

Law's eyebrows were furrowed, his skin was slick with sweat, he was biting his bottom lip, and gripping the futon in a white-knuckled fist. It didn't look like any good nightmare, either. It was probably a very, very bad one.

Going on instinct, Sabo went over to him and crouched to his level. His body had grown on its own. Placing a hand on Law's cheek, he began to caress it in a soothing way. "Law, it's okay. You're okay," he whispered to him.

Law murmured something that he couldn't quite hear. Leaning down, Sabo was able to hear what he was saying. "Cora-san...How...could...How did this...No...not him." It made him feel bad.

It took Sabo ten minutes to calm Law down enough to where he wasn't fisting the futon anymore and looked a lot more peaceful. Turning around to get his futon ready, Sabo decided he would change back before laying down.

Turning back around, he was shocked and fear-stricken. Law was staring right at him. Taking a closer look, his fear went away. Law's eyes were glazed over with sleep. He wasn't entirely awake. Laying down, Sabo stared into the other's eyes.

Law reached out and grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly. "You won't leave me, right, Sabo-ya?" It took him aback at hearing Law say his name. _How did he notice it is me? Do I still look the same?_

"No. I won't leave you. I'll stay right here. With you. So, don't worry, okay?" Slowly, Law's eyes fluttered closed as he nodded. "Alright. Got back to sleep. You need it."

"Goodnight, Sabo-ya," he heard him whisper to him. Law' grip loosened.

Moving closer to his face, Sabo kissed his lover's cheek. "Nocte os meum bonum amoris. Dulce sominii." He laid down and closed his eyes. Falling alsleep soon after.

**I'm very excited to see that you all are enjoying the story. It feels me with happiness and pride. Hope you all are having a marvelous day. I love you all with all of my heart. Tatty-bye!**

**Nocte os meum bonum amoris. Dulce sominii. - Goodnight, my love. Sweet dreams.**

**P.S. - Sabo isn't human. He's older than a hundred years. He's been looking for his mate/one for many, many years. There's something he has to do for Law to live as long as him. I'll write about it when it comes to that. I really hope this helps.**


	8. Day Out and Revelation?

**Day Out and...Revelation?**

Law sighed as he sat at the table in the main part of their room. His back was feeling much better from the day before. The hot spring from the night before really did help with the pain in his back. That was one of the main reasons he chose to go to the hot spring inn.

Looking out the door, he saw Sabo inspecting the area just outside the room. He smiled at the sight. It was comforting to know that he was enjoying himself, too. Then, he remembered the dream he had last night. It had been strange and weird.

...

**_Law opened his eyes and saw Sabo sitting right next to him. Only...Sabo looked much older than he knew him to be. He was messing with something next to him. Law studied what he could see of him as he messed with whatever it was._**

**_Sabo was still wearing the light blue yukata he had when they arrived at the onsen. His hair was shoulder-length but still wavy as before. It looked as charming as before. The man was tall, but Law guessed that he wasn't taller than him. His build was broader than Law but not by much._**

**_After a moment or so, he turned around. He watched his face turn to shock and something else. Law studied his facial features. They were sharper and much older looking, but he still had the boyish charm he had when he was small._**

**_The man moved closer. Law wondered why. After a moment longer, Sabo laid down next to him. They stared at each other for a few minutes. Law thought his eyes were a beautiful shade of blue. They were lapis blue. A very, very attractive colour, in his mind._**

**_Reaching out, Law grabbed onto his hand, gripping it tightly. He thought he would leave if he didn't. "You won't leave me, right, Sabo-ya?" he asked. Law had too many people leave him. It was something he didn't want to happen again. Especially not with Sabo. Law didn't care if Sabo was ten nor how old he was now. He just didn't want to be alone again._**

**_His question seemed to surprise him from the way he reacted. "No. I won't leave you. I'll stay here. With you. So, don't worry, okay?" Law didn't have the energy to smile as he closed his eyes, but he mustered enough to give him a small nod. "Alright. Go back to sleep. You need it."_**

**_"Goodnight, Sabo-ya," he whispered. It felt so nice to have the man next to him. It made him feel safe and loved. Slowly, he went back to sleep._**

...

To Law, he wondered why he had the dream. _I really am growing attached to him, aren't I? _His mind started to wander. _What if he was older like in my dream? Would he still live with me then? Would he still like me? _Eyes widening, Law shook his head. _What am I saying? Of course, he would still like me. But..._ The memory of how handsome Sabo had been made his face heat up. _Would he like me more than a protector and friend?_

Blinking, Sabo was standing in the doorway. He seemed to be studying him. "Law, are you okay? Are you getting a fever?"

Face darkening from knowing that Sabo noticed, he looked away from him. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Just...thinking. Sorry to worry you." He thought about what they could do. "Want to go for a walk around town?"

Sabo's eyes lit up at the suggestion he made. "Really? We're going out?" Law nodded. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

Law chuckled. "My back is feeling way better. I'm not an old man, Sabo-ya. I just have a sore back."

His face lit up at what he said. "I know you're not old," he said, crossing his arms. Law laughed aloud. Sabo was pouting about it. It was hilarious to him.

"Are...haah...are you p-pouting?" Law asked between gasps and laughs. It was getting to the point that his stomach was starting to hurt him from all the laughter.

"No!" Sabo yelled, face going darker than before. It was still making him laugh. _For a kid that acts older than he is most of the time, he can still pout like one. _Law thought it was the funniest thing he had ever seen in his life.

Calming himself down, Law's laughter was reduced to small chuckles. Sabo was still looking upset. Getting up, he walked over to Sabo before picking him up and holding him to his hip. He wouldn't look at him.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you," Law apologized as he ruffled his hair with his free hand. "You look really cute when you pout." He swore that Sabo's face got even darker when he said that. It was really cute to Law.

"I'm...I'm not cute," Sabo replied, still turned away from him. Law gave a genuine smile.

"So, what are you then if you aren't cute?" He waited, patiently, for an answer.

After a few minutes, he turned back to Law, still sporting a crimson face. He looked slightly angry, but Law couldn't tell. "I'm handsome. Not cute." That made Law smile wider.

"Okay. You're handsome. Happy now?" The boy nodded. His back started to hurt again so he st Sabo on the ground. "Are you ready to go out?" Sabo nodded. His face was, slowly, changing back to normal. He took Law by the hand as they walked out of the room.

They met the two women from the night before near the entrance. "Have a great day, sirs," the older one said with a smile.

"Are you both going for a walk?" the other asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Law answered. They two nodded before Law and Sabo walked out of the inn. It was nice to know that the staff of the inn were so friendly and kind. It made him feel better about where he was staying. You don't find much nice staff in inns.

Walking outside, Law breathed in the fresh air. People were walking around in all kinds of yukatas and geta. It was interesting to find a town that wore them all the time. To Law, it made him feel like he went back in time. Very interesting and relaxing.

"Law, let's go there." Law looked at where Sabo was pointing at. It was a noodle shop. He smiled at it.

"Sure. I'll get you something there." Sabo looked up at him with a big grin on his face.

Getting to the shop, Law ordered two bowls of ramen. One for him and one for Sabo. Sitting down, they dug in. It was delicious and Law enjoyed it. The kid seemed to be in heaven with the bowl of noodles if his face was anything to go by.

"Sabo-ya, why do you like ramen so much?" he asked after finishing his bowl. He pushed it to the side to ask the other the question.

He watched Sabo slurp some noddles before answering him. "I didn't get to eat it at home. When I hung out with Luffy and Ace, we would eat ramen a lot." He smiled. "I enjoy ramen because of the different flavors you can get it in."

"That's a good reason." He thought for a moment. "Why didn't you get to eat it before?" Law watched Sabo almost cave into himself. He wondered if he had asked something he wouldn't answer again. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No. I can answer that question." He slurped up some more noodles before speaking again. "You know I cam from a rich family, right?"

"Yeah. You were dressed in very expensive, sort of formal when we met." Law didn't say 'found' because he didn't see it that way anymore.

"Well, we ate only fancy foods. Nothing like ramen or street food that they have here. I grew up eating all that fancy stuff. I got sick of it and wanted to try eating non-noble foods." He watched Sabo's eyes widened for some reason. "I mean, normal people's food."

Law was confused. "Why did you change your words?"

"No particular reason." Law nodded, still confused but left it alone. "When I would visit Ace and Luffy, I would eat what they would. Ramen was one of the main meals we ate together. I found that it was delicious. My first one was shoyu."

"Then you found out there were more flavors?" Law asked.

Sabo nodded. "Yep. There is shoi ramen, miso ramen, tonkotsu ramen, shoyu ramen, and many more. There's even instant ramen. I saw it in the store when we went a few days ago." Law nodded.

"Of course. There are many different kinds. The ones you have eaten are the ones you go up to restaurants to eat." Sabo nodded in agreement while finishing his bowl off. "You can get more if you want to," Law offered. The other's face went red.

"Nah. I'm good." His face turned back to normal. "Want to keep walking around?"

"Yeah. They have a park around here. It was on the website." Nodding, Sabo hopped off the seat and waited for Law to stand up. They thanked the cook before holding hands and leaving.

Walking down the street, Law saw that there were more restaurants lining the street. It was nice to know that there were so many places to eat in the town. Sabo was glancing around as well. Law found that Sabo was cute when he was interested in something.

When Sabo was interested in something, his eyes would get bigger and light up with fascination. He would focus on it and block out anything else around him. Law had scared him a few times before when he was like that. It had been funny to scare him, but he would apologize in the end.

Arriving at the park, he was in awe at how it looked. It was pretty large. There was a cherry blossom tree in each corner of the park. It made it look beautiful. There were oak benches spread around and a few pieced of equipment for kids to play on.

In the park, there were a few people and children there. "This place looks beautiful," Law commented as he stood there. Sabo never let his hand go.

"I agree. I didn't know trees could have pink leaves." The comment made Law laugh. "What? Did I say something?"

Gathering himself, Law told him the truth. "The pink on the trees aren't leaves. They're cherry blossoms. They're flowers. When it comes time, the flowers will turn to cherries."

"Oh. So, they're flowers that will become fruit when it comes time?" Law nodded. Sabo didn't say anything back to him this time.

"I'm going to sit down. You can go play or whatever."

"Is your back hurting you?" Sabo asked.

"Just a little. But don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm just going to sit over there," Law responded as he pointed to the bench on the other side of the park.

"Alright. Try not to hurt yourself too much," Sabo said. Law felt him hesitate before letting his hand go.

Walking over to the bench, Law kept an eye on Sabo. A little girl walked up to him and said something. He didn't know what she asked him, but Sabo nodded to her before following her over to a group of kids. It was good to know that he could get along with others. Law didn't have to worry about him fighting other kids.

After about an hour or so, Law could hear some girls whispering behind him. He decided to listen in on what they were saying. "Didn't you hear? Blackbeard was seen near here," one said to the other. Law remembered that name from the day before.

"That's not good. Are they going to do anything about it? Like make us stay inside or something?" the other asked.

"I don't know. It's terrifying enough to know that he was spotted near here." He didn't like what he was hearing. _They are talking about that man that I met yesterday, right?_

Turning around, he decided to ask them. "May I ask you what Blackbeard looks like?" he asked. One girl had pink hair while the other had blue.

"So, you've heard about him being nearby?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"Yes. But I don't know what he looks like. Could you tell me?" Both girls looked between each other.

"I have his wanted poster." She reached into her yukata before pulling out a piece of paper. "This is him. He's been on the run for a while now."

Accepting the paper from her, Law almost dropped it. He did gasp, though. The page looked identical to the man he had met the day before. "Have you seen him before?" the pink-haired girl asked. She looked concerned.

"I talked to him just yesterday." They paled at hearing that from him. "He talked to me for a few minutes before I left him."

"Where did you meet him at?" the first one asked.

"I met him at a rest stop a few hours from here. He made me...uncomfortable." They still seem shocked to know that he had met him.

"You met him?" Law nodded. "And survived?" Confused, he nodded again.

"What has he done to be wanted?"

They looked between each other. "He's murdered tons of people with his crew. They're called the Blackbeard Pirates. They want to be considered Pirates, for some odd reason." Law nodded. "I would be very careful if I were you." Law gave the blue-haired girl a questioning look. "He could come back after you. You never know."

"Thank you for the warning." He was truly grateful to the woman for their helpful insight. The girl said he could keep the wanted poster. He thanked her again.

Turning back around, he sat Sabo staring at him. A little girl was trying to get his attention. Giving him a nod, the other nodded back before turning to the little girl. She said something to him, and he said something back.

After a few minutes of them talking, Sabo walked over to him before sitting on the bench beside Law. "Who were those two girls you were talking to?" Sabo asked. Law thought he heard a hint of jealousy in his voice when he asked the question.

"They were talking about a wanted man. I asked them what he looked like so I could be on the lookout for him." Sabo nodded.

"Well, what does he look like?" Not saying anything, Law handed the poster over to him. The kid was quiet for a moment. Then, he almost shouted at him. "That's the guy from yesterday!"

"Shh. Don't be so loud," Law tried to quiet him down. "I know. That's why I'm on the lookout for him. The girls said that he might come back because he interacted with us."

"That's not good, Law," Sabo said. He handed the poster back to him.

"I know. That's why I'm worried." They sat there for a while. Sabo didn't go back to play with the kids. It didn't bother Law because he knew that Sabo just wanted to sit with him. It was just a feeling he had at times.

When it started to get dark, they decided to go back to the inn. As they passed by a shop, Law noticed that it was an izakaya. He knew it was probably a bad idea, but he hadn't had a drink since he took in Sabo.

"Sabo-ya, I want to stop in here for a bit." The kid stopped walking with him. He looked up at him before moving his attention to the place that they were standing in front of.

"You want to get a drink?" he asked. Law was surprised he knew what kind of place it was.

"If you don't mind, I would."

He watched Sabo think it over. "I don't really think it's a good idea, but you deserve it." Law wanted to laugh. It was like he was asking for permission from his parent, who happened to be a child.

Law reached down and ruffled his hair. "I won't drink that much. I promise."

After Sabo agreed, Law guided him inside the place. It was nice. It was sort of like the pubs and taverns back at home but had a different atmosphere inside. Going up to the bar, Law picked Sabo up and put him on one of the seats before sitting down next to him.

"Hello. How may I serve you today?" a man asked as he walked up to them. He was smiling.

"I would like a cup of sake," Law replied. The man never lost his smile but winked at him.

"You got it, hon." "That was when he realized that the man was gay. It wasn't that surprising to him.

"Why did he call you that?" Sabo asked. Law looked at him. He looked confused and a little jealous.

"That's probably just what he says. Some people are like that," Law explained. It was the best explanation he could give him.

After a few minutes, the guy came back with two cups. "Here you go." He placed the red sake cup in front of Law. The other was placed in front of Sabo. He gave the man a questioning look. "Don't worry, hon. It's just juice. You're too young to drink what he's having." He turned back to Law. "Want me to leave the bottle over here?"

"Yes, please." He winked at him before placing the sake bottle in front of him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Drink as much as you like. You can pay after." Law nodded as the bartender left.

"He seems...nice." He had to agree with him. Some people were really kind.

After a while, Law was getting really drunk. His face felt warm and his vision was a little blurry. He was on his tenth drink for the night. Sabo was drinking on his fifth cup of juice. Law had missed the taste of alcohol. He hadn't had it for what felt like months. It was probably less than that, though.

"Law, are you okay?" Sabo asked.

Law looked over at him. There were about two of him. "I'm fine. Just a little...tipsy." He knew that he was more than just tipsy. He was probably more toward the drunk side than the other.

"We should go back then. You promised that you wouldn't get drunk. Remember?"

"I remember. I remember." He reached out and ruffled Sabo's hair. It made the other lower his head. "You worry too much about me," he said with a large smile on his face.

When Sabo looked up, Law saw the red on his face...faces. There were two of the kid in his eyes. "I care about you. Of course, I worry about you." It made Law chuckle.

Waving his hand, Law flagged down the gay bartender again. "Hey, hon. You look a little gone there. You alright?"

"Yes. I appreciate your concern." He watched both of him grin at his comment. "I'm fixing to leave. How much do I owe you?"

"About fifty."

"That's not much."

"I'm giving you a discount." Law raised an eyebrow. "I give discounts to guys I find cute." Law felt his face heat up and not just from the alcohol. "Plus, you and your kid look adorable together."

Law opened his mouth to tell him that Sabo wasn't his but decided not to say anything about it. "Th-Thanks." Reaching into his yukata, he pulled out his wallet. Getting the amount out, Law handed it over to him.

"Thanks, handsome." He reached over and tousled Sabo's hair. "Have a good night, cutie."

Sabo didn't reply and just got off the seat. Law smiled at the man. "Sorry. He's just shy." The man laughed and told them both to have a good night. Law waved at him as they walked out.

It was quiet as they walked back. Law wondered if Sabo was upset because he wasn't saying anything. The hand on his yukata let him know that it wasn't him that the other was upset at. At least, he hoped he wasn't upset with him.

When they arrived back at the inn, the woman greeted them. "you look like you had a great time, sir," the younger woman said with a small giggle.

"I did. This town is lovely," he answered.

"Well, have a good night. There should be dinner sent to your room in a bit," the older informed him. Law thanked them before Sabo tugged him in the direction of their room.

"What's wrong, Sabo-ya?" he asked after they arrived at their room. He was sitting on the floor with Sabo in his lap. "Did I upset you?"

"Were you flirting with those women?" Law was stunned at his question.

"No. Why would you think that?" His vision was still blurry and doubled. Sitting was helping with not having a headache.

"I don't know." Law knew there was more to that.

"Sabo-ya?"

"Hm?"

"Do you not like me talking to other people that aren't my friends?" There was silence for a long moment. Law wondered if Sabo didn't want to answer him.

"Not really," was the quiet reply. That made him surprised. _That's a shocker. He doesn't like me talking to other people._

"Do you hate it when I talk to my patients?" Law was digging for more information.

"No. They're your patients. I have nothing against them."

"How about my coworkers?"

Sabo shifted in his lap. "Only a few of them. I don't like that Monet woman. She's annoying and gross." Law chuckled. "Nami's nice. I like her. Your friends, Shachi, Penguin, and Bepo, are funny and kind. I like them too."

"And Marco-ya? Zoro-ya?"

"They're watching my brothers. Of course, I don't have anything against them."

"So, you just have something against people that aren't then?"

"Sort of." Law laid his head on top of Sabo's while wrapping his arms around him. "Are you tired? Is your back bothering you?"

"Nah. I am tired, though." He yawned before his eyes started to slip closed. Moving his head a little, Law breathed in the smell of Sabo. It was nice. The scent reminded him of fire and something more...unearthly. "You smell good."

The other didn't move. "Don't fall asleep on me. You need to get on your futon if you're tired."

Law felt like being childish. "But food will be here soon," he whined.

He heard Sabo laugh. "What are you? Ten?"

"No. I'm five. What does that make you? One hundred?" Sabo laughed again.

"Why do you act like this around just me? Why not around your friends?"

"I don't live with them. Plus, I trust you a little more than them." He felt the other shift a little. "There aren't many people I trust whole-heartedly. You are one of the very few that I do."

Silence followed after that. Slowly, he started to fall asleep, leaning heavily on Sabo. The kid's voice woke him up a little. "Do you really trust me that much?"

"Of course. Even though you won't tell me much about you, I trust you enough to show you some of my more...embarrassing traits." Law tightened his grip around Sabo's waist. "I hope you'll tell me some more about yourself. It would be nice."

Then, his consciousness faded. He didn't have time to warn Sabo before he fell forward, right onto Sabo.

...

Sabo laid on the floor, trying to figure out how to get out from underneath Law. Not that he didn't like it. Being close to Law was a blessing. But he was heavy when sleeping. It was almost to the point that he was being crushed into the ground.

After a bit, he carefully crawled out of Law's arms and out from underneath him. When he was free, he studied him. Law's face was still a bit pink from the alcohol. It made him look cute. His body was curled up in a ball. He guessed that it happened after he got up.

A knock on the door alerted him that someone was there. Walking to the door, he opened it. The young woman from the entrance was there. "Hello. I brought dinner. Where's your father?"

"He's not my father. He's my mother's friend. He's asleep."

She still didn't stop smiling. Sabo didn't like that. It was really creepy. "Oh. Sorry. Do you still want dinner? If not, I'll just take it back and be here with dinner in the morning."

"That's fine. Have a good night, ma'am." She bid him the same before leaving with the cart she had brought with her.

Shutting the door, he turned back to Law. _Now, how do I get him back to the bedroom? _Then, it hit him. _If I get back to normal, I could carry him. __That would be much easier than in this form._

Sabo made his decision. Slowly, his body and clothes grew. Once he was in his normal form, he walked over to Law. As carefully as he could, Sabo lifted the man, he searched at least a century for, into his arms.

Walking slowly, he made sure not to jostle him around and accidentally wake him up. Law curled up in his arms and snuggled closer to his chest. It made Sabo fill with pride that he would do that, even though he was unconscious.

Sabo laid him on the futon before covering him up. Law never snored. It made him wonder if it was normal for a human not to snore. His face was still pink. He reached down and placed his hand on his forehead. It was a little warm, but he chalked it up to the alcohol.

The sound of the phone almost freaked him out. Rushing up, he quickly grabbed the phone before answering it. "Hello?" he whispered.

"Why are you being quiet?" Ace asked.

"I'm in the bedroom with Law. He's sleeping." Sabo looked back to find that Law was still asleep. "Did you need something?"

"Luffy told Zoro the truth this morning."

"That's great to hear. How did the man react to knowing what Luffy really is and what that means for him?" There was the sound of movement to the other side.

"He couldn't believe him. At first." Sabo sighed. "But he came to accept it when Marco took me over there to help with explaining it to him."

"Luffy's not great at explaining our...species...to others, is he?"

Ace sighed in defeat. "It wouldn't be Luffy if he wasn't bad at explaining stuff." Sabo chuckled. "The good thing was that he accepted him. I told him what Luffy would probably be when he hits his mature age."

"Isn't that when he's eighteen?"

"Yeah. In our years, it's eighteen. In human years, it's probably about...one hundred-sixty two."

"God. He's growing up so fast. Only three years younger than us."

"Well, three years younger in our years. About twenty-seven years in human years." They talked for a while longer.

Then, there was a noise behind him. His fear spiked when he heard Law groan. He stopped talking and slowly turned around to find out what the man was doing.

Sabo's eyes widened and he almost dropped the phone. He was gripping it tightly, though. "Sabo? Sabo, is everything alright?" Ace tried to get him to answer him. "Answer me, goddamnit."

"Sabo-ya?" Law asked in a sleepy voice. He was staring straight at him.

"What the fuck's going on, Sabo?! For fuck's sake, answer me!"

"I'll call you back," was his only response before he hung up on him. There was silence between him and Law for a very long moment. "L-Law?"

"S-Sabo-ya?" It was like he was trying to figure something out. "Y-You're S-Sabo-ya, right?"

"Yes?"

"Am I still asleep?" He watched on in horror as Law slapped himself across his cheek. Sabo had never seen the man physically hurt anyone. Let alone himself. "Well, it seems that I'm not dreaming. So, want to explain something to me? Something about why you're an adult? Or how you are one? How about why you haven't told me about it?"

Law didn't sound like he was angry. He sounded more shocked and curious about what he had woken up to. After a few minutes, he found his voice to answer him. "How...How about we talk about it in the morning? I promise to explain everything then. Okay?"

The man yawned before answering him. "I guess that's fine. I'm really tired right now." He laid back down. "If I don't get a full explanation, I won't talk to you for the rest of our trip."

That was when Sabo questioned if Law was fully comprehending what was happening. Choosing not to bother with that at the moment, he walked over to Law before laying down next to him. The man didn't say anything to him.

"I'm sorry, Law," he whispered as he got closer to him.

"Don't worry about it. Just tell me about it in the morning, okay?"

"Al-Alright. Goodnight, Law."

"Night. See you in the morning." He was surprised when Law threw his arms around him before bringing him closer to himself. _I really think he's not fully aware of what's going on. I'll figure it out in the morning._

Closing his eyes, he breathed in the soothing, welcoming scent of Law. His love. The one he had searched years for and finally found. Slowly, he fell asleep to the sound of Law's breathing and the thumping of his heart right against his chest.

**I'm in bliss to know that so many people love this story. I really hope you all enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think. Have a magnificent day and I love you all very, very much. Tatty-bye!**

**P.S. - If you would like to know, in their species, one year for them is nine years for humans. When the Sabo, Ace, and Luffy do what they need to, Marco, Zoro, and Law will be able to live as long as them. They won't age for a very long while. Hope you like this tid bit.**


	9. Species Explanation

**Species Explanation**

Law sat on one side of the room while Sabo sat across on the other. There was a very good reason for this. At least, Law saw that there was a good reason for doing so. He was studying the kid. Or...he thinks he's a kid. He couldn't decide if he was or not.

"Sabo-ya, what I saw last night...was that real or not?" The boy was messing with the sleeve of his yukata as he sat there. "Are you a kid or an adult?"

"What do you remember of last night?" Sabo countered his question with one of his own. Law knew why he was doing that.

"I remember waking up at some point. I saw..." He thought back. Law tried to figure out what his muddled and slightly drunken brain could remember of the night before.

...

_**A quiet voice awoke Law from his sleep. He opened his eyes. When his vision adjusted to the low light of the room, he saw a man on the other side of the room. He was wearing a blue yukata, the same from his dream the night before and the one Sabo had been wearing.**_

_**Sitting up, he groaned from the slight pain in his back. When he was sitting up, he continued to stare at the man. He watched the guy slowly turn to him. Law saw that he was holding a phone in his hand.**_

_**The man seemed to have frozen in place where he was. He looked identical to the older Sabo from the dream he had. Even the scar and eyes were the same. Someone said something over the phone. 'Sabo' didn't answer him and just stared back at Law.**_

_**After a moment, he lifted the phone up to his ear, without looking away from him nor blinking. "I'll call you back," he spoke in a low voice, but Law was able to catch what he had said. He put the phone down on the floor next to him. There was a very long silence that gathered between the two for a bit. "L-Law?"**_

_**His voice wasn't high like before. It was baritone and sort of rumbling. It was nice to listen to. But it confused him. "S-Sabo-ya?" His brain was trying to wrap around what he was seeing and comprehend what Sabo looked like. "Y-You're S-Sabo-ya, right?" He wanted to see what his answer was.**_

_**"Yes?" It was said like a question more than an actual answer to him.**_

_**"Am I still asleep?" He was still trying to figure that out. Lifting his right hand, Law slapped himself across his right cheek. The pain was almost immediate. It hurt but nothing happened around him. He didn't wake up nor did the setting change. "Well, it seems that I'm not dreaming." **At least, I don't think I am. Could be a very, very vivid dream. **"So, want to explain something to me? Something about why you're an adult? Or how you are one? How about why you haven't told me about it?"**_

_**To be truthful, he was a little upset that Sabo hadn't said anything to him. It made him feel as if Sabo didn't trust him to tell him about what was going on. It shocked him but intrigued him at the same time.**_

_**It took Sabo a few minutes to answer him. Mostly, he just stared at him with an open mouth. "How...How about we talk about it in the morning? I promise to explain everything then. Okay?"**_

_**He thought it over before yawning. He was still tired from their day out. "I guess that's fine," he answered after yawning. "I'm really tired right now." He didn't have any more mental compacity to take on anything else for the night. He laid back down and covered up. "If I don't get a full explanation, I won't talk to you for the rest of our trip." He knew it was a petty thing to do but he was just too tired to care.**_

_**He felt Sabo lay down next to him. Law didn't move nor say anything else to him. He was starting to fall back asleep.**_

_**"I'm sorry, Law," was whispered near him.**_

_**"Don't worry about it. Just tell me about it in the morning, okay?"**_

...

And that was the last thing he remembered from last night. "I saw an adult version of you. Was that real or not? I can't seem to figure that out," Law said, truthfully. He wanted to know if Sabo had been lying to him or not.

"Do you promise not to freak out if I tell you the truth?" Law was stunned at hearing the small question. It was like he regretted what he had done.

"I promise. I just want to know the truth. Don't lie to me, either." Sabo agreed not to lie to him anymore. Law thanked him and waited for an explanation.

Law's eyes widened at the event playing out before him. Slowly, Sabo's body grew along with his yukata, his hair grew to be shoulder-length, and his features looked identical to his dream. It shocked him and amazed him at the same time.

Once he guessed that Sabo was done, they sat there for a few minutes. Law was trying to process what he had just witnessed. Silence gathered between them because neither one decided to speak up.

After a bit of them sitting there, Law decided to speak up and ask him something. "You...You aren't human, are you? Humans can't do that. I've studied them. We can't do that." It was a big revelation to him.

"No. I'm not human. Never was. Never will be."

He nodded. "Okay, then. If you aren't human, what are you?"

Sabo looked up at him. His blue eyes almost pierced Law to the core. It was like he was searching for something inside him. Something he had been looking for since this whole ordeal had begun.

"I'm a demon/angel hybrid."

Law let it sink in. _A demon/angel hybrid. _"I guess that it can be possible." He sighed. "Alright. Next question. Why did you come to me? Is there a particular reason for you coming to me?" The man looked away from him a bit.

"Do you hate me?"

The question dumbfounded Law. He hadn't expected that question from him. "N-No. No. I don't hate you. I just want some answers."

Sabo looked back at him. Their eyes met. "Honestly, do you hate me?"

"I already told you. No. I don't hate you. I like you very much. Even if you are older than what I thought you were." He sighed. "Nothing you can say will make me hate you. I promise that I won't hate you no matter what you say nor why you're here with me."

The guy didn't seem like he completely believed him. He sighed in defeat, though. "I came to find you. It wasn't a meeting by chance. I meant to break into your house. I meant for us to meet. I just took the form of a child so you wouldn't throw me out when we finally met."

Law sat there for a moment before speaking. "So, you came to find me?" Sabo nodded. "And you meant to meet me the way we did?"

"Not really. I did run away from home. The scar on my face is from a punishment I got for what I did."

"What did you do?"

"I told my parents that my...partner...is a human. Not one of us." That stunned him.

"You say 'partner'. What do you mean by that? What kind of partner are you implying? Partners like Smoker and Tashigi-ya? Or something else?" He saw the man fidget in the spot he was in. They hadn't moved from their spots on either side of the room.

"As in...lovers. That's the kind of partners we are. I knew that you would be human, but it took so long for you to appear in the human world."

Law thought for a moment. "Sabo-ya?" The other looked at him. "How old are you actually? How long have you been looking for me?"

Sabo sighed. Law wondered if it was because he knew he was going to ask that question or if it was the question itself. "A year for us is nine years for humans. In our years, I'm twenty-years-old. In human years, I'm one hundred and eighty-years-old. I have been looking for you since I was eight."

Law was more than shocked. "You've been looking for me for a hundred and eight years?"

"Yeah," was Sabo's answer. "It's not that long for us."

Holding up his hand, Law got Sabo to be quiet before speaking. "Let me get this straight. You've been looking for me for a hundred and eight years?" The guy nodded. "And I've only been in this world for twenty-four years." Sabo nodded. "So, how long have you known I was here since I was born?"

Sabo looked away from in with red on his face. Law was confused and shocked. _Is he embarrassed about something? _Then, it clicked in his head. _He's been looking for me for a hundred and eight years. Don't tell me..._

"You've known that I've been here ever since I was born, haven't you?" Sabo looked back at him. He slowly nodded in affirmation Law couldn't believe it. "Have you been watching me since I was born?"

"Not really. No. I was forced to stay in my realm by my parents and others."

"So, Ace-ya and Straw Hat-ya are the same as you?"

"Yeah." He watched his expression turn to guilt. "There's another thing I have to tell you about my species."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

"You won't get angry or hate me, right?"

"No. I won't do either." That made him worried. "Will it make me angry?"

"Depends on how you see it." Law nodded and told him to say it. "In our species, there are three different types of...classifications."

"What do you mean?" It intrigued him about the subject that they had moved to. "Do you mean like male and female? Or something else entirely?'

"More like the Alpha/Beta/Omega form." Law nodded. He understood. "But they have different names. You have the submissive which happens to be Ace, a mixture of both which could be Luffy, and dominate."

"That's you, isn't it?" Sabo nodded. "What do those classes mean?"

"Well, submissives are like most...human women. When having sex, they are the bottom. Also, they have the ability to get pregnant by their partner." Law was bewildered to hear that. "The mixture can be either. In sex, they can top their partner or be the bottom. They are also able to get pregnant if they choose to."

"A submissive can't get pregnant by choice?"

Sabo shook his head. "No. The thing is, a woman can get a male submissive pregnant. It doesn't matter what their gender is. That's why a submissive can be male or female."

"That's astonishing. I've never heard anything like that."

"A being that is...both...is very rare. Luffy hasn't hit that age yet, but Ace and I think he'll be both." Law nodded again. He was finding their species...captivating.

"So, what about you? You said you're a dominant, right?"

"Yes. I'm a dominate."

For a few minutes, Law mulled over what that meant. It took him only a few minutes of thinking about it. "So, that means you top your partner."

The other looked surprised. "I'm surprised you're calm about it." That confused Law a little.

"Why wouldn't I be calm? Should I be upset about something?"

Sabo shrugged. "I just thought you wouldn't like to hear that, considering you're my partner." Now, Law realized what he was telling him. His face heated up and he averted his eyes away from him.

"S-So..." He was embarrassed now. _That means, if we were to have sex, I would be the bottom. He would be the one calling all the shots._

"Yeah. Are...Are you okay with that?"

Bringing his knees to his chest, Law wrapped his arms around them. "I'm...I'm not...angry." His face felt like it was getting hotter by the second. He heard movement but still didn't look at Sabo. Law was too embarrassed to do so.

"Then, what is it?" He sounded closer to him.

"It's just..." It was hard to think about what he wanted to say. He didn't know how to react to that.

"Just what?" Sabo's voice was so close to him now. It made his head snap up and Sabo was right there. The sight of him made his eyes widen in shock. Sabo was right in front of him, kneeling on the floor.

Thinking for a moment, Law came up with a question to get his mind off of his closeness. He was even trying to press closer to the wall behind him. "If you're not human, won't you live longer than me?" It was the first thing he could think of to ask.

"Yes. I would out-live you since I am what I am."

"But?"

"Since you're human, I can make it to where you will live as long as me." Law's embarrassment wore off and was replaced with puzzlement.

"How? Is there something special you have to do?" He never let go of his legs as they spoke to each other.

"Well, that's...that's an embarrassing thing to explain." Raising an eyebrow, he asked him to explain it anyway. "We have to...fornicate for the seal to be placed."

Blinking, slowly, a few times, Law's brain worked in trying to realize what he had said to him. _Did he just say... _Eyes widening to dinner plates in realization, Law's jaw dropped and he felt his face heat up to a considerable degree. "We have to have sex?!" he almost screamed. It was embarrassing enough that he had thought about them doing it earlier. Now he was saying that they could live together for as long as Sabo lived if they had sex. It made the embarrassment grow ten-fold.

"Yes. My sperm would create a seal that would bind us together. When that happens, you will be marked as my partner forever and it could mean that you could get pregnant."

Law felt like his heart was going to stop. _This is all too much! What the fuck?! I could get pregnant?! Oh my fucking God! _He could hear his breath start to quicken. Law was starting to hyperventilate from the last thing that Sabo had said to him.

"Law, calm down. You need to stay calm. You'll make yourself pass out if you don't," he heard Sabo say in a soothing voice. It was hard to hear him because of the blood thrumming in his ears, insanely loud beating heart, and rapid breathing. "Law! Calm the fuck down! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"Don't shout at me!" Law shouted back. He was shaking violently. "I didn't do anything wrong this time! Don't fucking shout at me, Doflamingo! I'm not bothering anyone!" That was when his mind decided to give up on him. "Aw, fuck." That was the last thing he said before falling to the floor.

...

Sabo sat in shock while staring at Law who had made himself pass out. He had not expected what the man had shouted at him. Sabo hadn't meant to freak him out. _I think me shouting at him didn't help his situation._

Thinking about what he had said, he grew angry at the name he relayed to him. _That's his uncle. I hate him. What did he do to him for Law to say what he had? _His anger slowly changed to sorrow.

Moving around, he lifted Law's head before sitting down in the spot. He laid his head in his lap. Sabo began to run his fingers through his hair. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out," he said aloud. He knew Law couldn't hear him, but it made him feel better. "I promise not to shout at you again."

Fuzzies filled his chest when he felt Law nuzzle more into his leg. A big smile came to his face. The way the man had taken the information he gave him was better than he had hoped. Law hadn't freaked out nor had he shown any hate toward him for lying. It made him happy.

"He only started to freak out when I told him about how we could stay together." He thought about it for a moment or so. "Could it be because he's a virgin? Has he never had sex before?" That thought made him feel even better. "He's still pure." Then, his thoughts went back to the doctor's uncle. "I wonder what he has done to him. Maybe I can ask him when he wakes back up." Sabo nodded. "Yeah. I'll ask him then."

**I'm so happy that you all are enjoying the story. It feels me with pride that I can make something that people like. Let me know what you think of this chapter. I really hope that this chapter helps with understanding what Sabo is. Don't worry. It won't be long before they start doing...adult things. ;) Have a glorious day and I love you all. Tatty-bye!**

**P.S. - Sabo, Ace, and Luffy came from somewhere where it's hot. Can you guess where it is based on what he is?**


	10. Past, Corazon, and Agreement

**Past, Corazon, and Agreement**

He was sitting at the small table in the middle of the main room. Sabo was sitting to his right at the table, as well. The guy was his normal self, not his child version. Law remembered passing out from what Sabo had told him about their relationship.

Law had thought about and even contemplated what this meant for them from now on. _Would he be his adult self around me, Marco-ya, Zoro-ya, and his brothers like now and a child around others? Or will he do the opposite?_

"Law, can I ask you something?" He shook his head to clear it and blinked twice before looking up at Sabo. Law had been in deep thought that the man startled him.

"Sure. I'll answer my best if I can."

"What did your uncle do to you when you were younger?"

His chopsticks clattered onto his plate as they fell from his hand and fingers. Law stared at Sabo with wide, petrified eyes. He had not been expecting the other to ask him that. Sabo just continued to eat his lunch, not realizing what his question had done to Law's mental state.

"W-Wh-Why do you w-wa-want to kn-know?" he asked in a shaky, uneasy voice.

Finally, Sabo looked up at him. He had determination in his eyes. "Because, before you passed out earlier, you called me by Doflamingo's name when I shouted at you." Law blanched at hearing that. "You told me not to shout at you and that you didn't do anything wrong 'this time'. After that, you told me that you weren't bothering anyone."

Quickly looking away, Law didn't know how to respond to that. "It's...It's in the past. There's no need to worry about it."

When Sabo slammed his chopsticks onto the table, Law almost jumped two feet in the air. It made his head snap back to him. "Law, it applies to you as well." He raised an eyebrow at him, trying not to let it show how much he had actually scared him. "I promised not to lie to you. It also pertains to you." Law went to say something, but he interrupted him. "Add to the fact that you told Doflamingo that you 'don't want him to talk to me' and 'especially touch me'." He went to say something again but was cut off once again. "Not to mention, you asked him if thirteen was too old for him. You don't even want him to talk nor touch any of your friends that are male no matter how old they are."

Opening his mouth a few times like a fish, Law looked back down at his food. Sabo got him on everything he had said in front of him about that time. It was amazing that the other had remembered everything he had said in front of him about his uncle but creepy and disturbing at the same time.

Finally finding his voice to answer him, it was quiet and weak. "S-Sabo-ya..." He could feel the guy trying to stare holes into him. "I...I understand the point you've made right now."

"So, will you tell me?" Looking back at Sabo, Law saw that he was pleading with his eyes at him. It was a really cute picture for him.

_Wait a minute, did I just think that he is cute?_ Trying to get his thoughts off of those, he sighed. "I guess. You do deserve an explanation. You told me something I wanted to know. It's only courteous if I do the same back.

Sabo's eyes lit up with happiness. He thought it was charming to see that in him than the sadness and anger he had shown. "Alright. You can tell me when we're finished eating." Law agreed before they began to eat again.

After their lunch, Law sat back and sighed. He was full and felt good. Sabo was doing the same thing as him. A minute later, his back started to hurt him. It made Law groan and cringe. Getting to his feet, he went back to the bedroom.

"Where're you going?" Sabo asked from the main room.

"I'm going into the hot spring. My back's killing me right now." He heard movement from the main room before Sabo showed up in the doorway.

"May I join you?"

It made Law feel a little weird since the other was much older than what he was used to. "I...I gu-guess." He turned back around before continuing with what he was doing.

Soon enough, he was in his towel. Turning around, he found Sabo in a towel as well. Law nodded and they walked out to hot spring. It was in the middle of the day, but he didn't care. His back was hurting so he wanted to take a dip.

Walking into the spring, Law sighed as he went to the back like he had the night before last. Sabo came in right behind him. It felt a little awkward because he was in a tub, almost completely naked, with another grown man. He found it a little unnerving to be with another person after not being with people like that for a few years.

The good thing was that Sabo kept a good distance away from enough to give him space. "So, can you tell me what your uncle did to you when you were younger? You told me you would tell me about it when we were done eating."

Taking a deep breath, Law let it out in a deep, defeated sigh. "Alright. Alright. I'll tell you." He looked to the sky. "It started when I was around ten or so."

...

_**"Law~? Can you come here for a moment?" Law heard Doflamingo call him from the gathering room of the mansion.**_

_**Not thinking anything about it, he made his way into the room. Doflamingo was sitting on his throne-like chair. Law liked it because it reminded him of the thrones he had seen in the books Corazon gave him to read. They were interesting.**_

_**"Yes, sir?" he asked as he stopped in front of him. Law looked to the side and saw the bottle of whiskey sitting on the table next to the chair with an empty glass. That was never a good sign.**_

_**"Come closer." The man patted his lap. "Sit."**_

_**Carefully, Law walked closer before crawling into his lap. He faced away from him. "Doflamingo, are you feeling okay today?"**_

_**He heard his uncle chuckle behind him. "Why don't you call me Doffy? I would really like it if you did."**_

_**Law's eyebrows furrowed. Corazon and some of the others called him that. Especially the women he brought into the house. "You want me to call you Doffy?" he asked.**_

_**Arms encircled his waist. "Yes. It sounds cute coming from you," Doflamingo replied. It made Law's cheeks heated up at what he had said about him. It was embarrassing for someone to say he was cute.**_

_**"I'm not cute," he countered.**_

_**Doflamingo straight out laughed. It unnerved Law because of how he was asking. "Of course, you are. You're my adorable nephew," he exclaimed as he rubbed his face into the top of his head. **He's drunk, isn't he?_

**_"Doffy, are you drunk again?" he asked._**

**_There was silence for a minute or so. "Maybe. I'm not really sure." That wasn't the answer he was hoping nor looking for. _**

**_After about ten minutes of silence and nothing happening between them, Law almost freaked out when Doflamingo's hands began to roam over his chest. "D-Doffy, wh-wha-what're you doing?" It was getting uncomfortable to keep sitting there._**

**_"Don't worry. It's nothing bad." One large hand snuck its under his shirt. That made his eyes go wide._**

**_Grabbing onto the much larger hands, Law tried to figure out what he was doing. The hand touched him all over his chest. It was like it was ever so lightly touching him. Doflamingo hummed as his other hand rested on his thigh._**

**_"Your skin is so soft," Doflamingo commented. Law's face heated up even more. "It suits you. I like that you have soft skin." Suddenly, a jolt of something ran through his body. The man had touched one of his nipples._**

**_"D-Doffy..."_**

**_"Hm?" He continued to roam over his chest with his hand._**

**_"Wh-What are you d-doing?" He couldn't help that his voice was shaky, and he was stuttering._**

**_"I'm not hurting you, right?"_**

**_Confused, Law couldn't figure out how that answered his question. "N-No. But it f-feels w-weird," he confessed._**

**_"Don't worry about it. I won't hurt you." Law didn't know if he trusted him on that at that time. His uncle was known to lie about many things._**

**_Slowly, something started to rise in his lap. Looking down, he felt his face heat up even more. It felt as if his face was going to melt away because of how hot it was. "D-Doffy, c-can...can we s-st-stop?"_**

**_The hands never stopped even as he spoke to him. "Is there something wrong? Do you not like it?"_**

**_Law felt Dofalmingo rest his head on the top of his. He knew that the other could see what he was doing and what was going on with Law. "Oh. I see." Law watched on in horror as the idle hand on his thigh moved to his 'problem' in the front of his pants. "Don't worry. It's just a normal reaction."_**

**_"Wh-What's happening?" Doflamingo preceded to answer him. "So, I'm...I'm hard?"_**

**_"Exactly. I can help you get it down. Will you allow me to?"_**

**_Unsure about what was happening, Law, reluctantly, accepted his offer for help._**

...

"That was the first time it ever happened," Law finished. He looked back at Sabo. The man was staring at him with a repulsed expression. It wasn't too surprising to see that kind of look.

"He molested you?!" he almost screamed. Law hushed him because he was being loud.

"Yes. Now, lower your voice," he replied.

Nodding, the other man sighed. "So, how did it stop? What put an end to it all?"

"To be honest, I think Cora-san is the main reason he stopped messing with me," Law voiced his thoughts.

"Who was this 'Cora-san' you're talking about?"

The thought of the man made him smile. "He's the man that adopted me as his son after my family perished in a devastating fire."

Sadness overtook Sabo's features. "I'm...I'm sorry to hear that."

Law told him not to worry. "He treated me just like his own son. I am thankful to have ever met him." Sabo's sad frown turned to a happy smile. "Cora-san's not here anymore. It doesn't bother me much anymore, but I still remember the good times I had with him."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to him?"

He sighed. "For my eighteenth birthday, Cora-san and I went out to celebrate. I was old enough to finally drink alcohol." Sabo raised an eyebrow. "The legal age is eighteen to drink. He nodded. "Well, we went to a bar. I had a few drinks with him. It was fun." Law smiled at the memories.

"What happened after that?"

Law's smile quickly faded. "To let you know, I wasn't drunk. I was still pretty much sober." Sabo looked confused but didn't say anything. "We were walking home that night. Joking and having fun." The other nodded. "Suddenly, a shot sounded nearby. It was normal where we were. People did that to celebrate. I wasn't looking at Cora-san I...I kept walking for a few feet before I realized he wasn't walking with me."

Sabo looked worried. "He got shot, didn't he?"

Holding back tears, Law looked to the still bright sky. "Yes. He was leaning on his knees. I rushed over to him to see if he was okay. I was in college by then. Second year." The memories were still fresh in his mind. "I asked if he was okay. He told me he was fine."

...

_**"Don't worry," Corazon said as he smiled up at him. "It just grazed me. I'll be fine."**_

_**"Are you sure?" Law asked. He was almost panicking.**_

_**"You can look at it when we get home, alright?" Reluctantly, he agreed but kept an eye on him. The man was limping and looking to be holding back how much it was actually hurting him.**_

_**Back at the house, Corazon sat on the couch. Law hurried to the bathroom and grabbed the first-aid kit. Getting back to the other, he removed the black, feathered coat before lifting the already blood-soaked shirt. There was blood staining almost the entire left side of the shirt.**_

_**He gasped when he saw the wound. "C-Cora-san! You need to get to the hospital! This is more than I can manage with just a first-aid kit!" he yelled at him. He didn't mean to be like that. Law was freaking out even more.**_

_**Corazon just laughed. "Don't worry about it," he said. Law felt the tears fall from his eyes.**_

_**"Cora-san! You need surgery! I need to get you to the hospital!" Standing up, Law went to get the phone. The man grabbed his arm before he could walk too far away.**_

_**"I said not to worry about it." He coughed and blood came out on his hand. Law's eyes widened at seeing it.**_

_**"Cora-san, you need medical attention that I can't give you here," he sobbed.**_

_**"It'll be okay." Law watched the man lean back and closed his eyes. "Don't worry about me. You need to worry about yourself." His grip slackened. Law rushed off to call an ambulance.**_

...

"He died later that night," he said. Sabo looked guilty about something.

"Sorry to have asked you that," he apologized.

"It's not that bad. I found out that he had a reason for that."

"And what was that?"

"He was protecting me from someone that was trying to kill me that night." The other looked surprised to hear that. "Turned out that Doflamingo had upset some man and he found out that I had a...relationship...with him. The guy figured that he would kill me to get back at him."

"But your adopted father protected you?"

"Uh-huh. He took the bullet instead of me." Sabo nodded. "That's why I'm not really bothered by his death anymore. He always told me he would protect me with his life." He sighed, leaning back in the spring. "He took it literally."

"Apparently." The two looked at each other before bursting out laughing. They did so for a few minutes. When they calmed down, Sabo spoke up again. "So, did Doflamingo ever...you know..."

Law's eyes widened. "No! He never did that!" It was shocking to hear the other ask that question. "It was more of just touching and groping. Nothing more." And Law was thankful for it.

There was silence for a few minutes. The two just sat there, soaking in the hot spring. Then, Sabo said something else. "I'm sorry that I freaked you out earlier. I didn't expect you to do that when I told you what I did."

Looking back at the other, Law just stared at him for a moment. "I understand why you were hesitant to tell me," he admitted. "I...didn't take it too well, did I?" Sabo shook his head. "I'm sorry for my behavior. I just...wasn't expecting to be told that I had someone looking for me for years and they showed up at my house as a child. Nor did I expect to be told that I would be with you for a long time after we..." He trailed off. Law didn't know how to bring that up with him.

"You can take your time. I don't mind waiting for you to be ready," Sabo replied. He was looking down at the water with a red face. Law wondered if he was embarrassed about it.

"I'll...I'll let you know when I'm ready to take those steps." The man agreed and they just continued to soak in the spring. "Be my first time ever having sex with a man," he said. There was the sound of a splash. He snapped his head to find Sabo under the water. "Sabo-ya! What happened?!"

Law, quickly, waded through the water to him. Grabbing his arm, he pulled the guy out of the water. "The world seems to be spinning," he stated as he couched up some water. Law looked at his eyes.

"You're dizzy," Law informed him. "You've been soaking in here too long." He got Sabo to sit on the stairs. "Are you okay?" Sabo's head dropped down. Crouching a bit, he tried to get the other to look at him. Suddenly, the other fell forward and took Law down with him. "Sabo-ya!" he shouted just before he was engulfed in the water.

**Hope you all are enjoying it. Let me know what you thought of this one. Have a marvolous day. I love you all more than you know. Tatty-bye!**


End file.
